Captured by the Akatsuki
by BansheeFromHell
Summary: ON HIATUS. Hi everyone, it's me, Saru. It all started as a visit to my favorite ninja in orange... But I have a knack for being kidnapped...
1. Real Freaking Great

**Banshee: This my new story where I get kidnapped while I pay a visit to the Naruto world. I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Naruto. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I just own the plot, so no suing please.**

**----------------------------------------------------------**

Chapter One: Real Freaking Great…

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This had to be the worst day of my life.

I know what you're thinking:

'What the hell are you talking about?'

Well, I'll be happy to explain it all, starting from the very beginning.

…

…

_I was having another one of my visits to other worlds. I was able to go, after I assured the others -over and over - that I would be fine and that nothing would happen to me. And I thought I'd pay a visit to my favorite ninja in orange._

_That's right._

_Uzumaki Naruto._

…

"_Ne, Saru-chan, wanna go get some ramen with me?"_

_I looked questioningly at Naruto, who was looking at me with an innocent smile on his face. _

_I knew that he was going to make me pay for it all, but there was no way I could resist that face. Reluctantly, I agreed._

"_Oh, alright."_

"_Yes! Let's go-ttebayo!"_

_He grabbed my wrist and nearly dragged me to his favorite place in the world: Ichiraku's Ramen._

…

_I watched as Naruto repeatedly slurped up his ramen, losing my appetite slowly. He noticed the way I was looking at him and stopped eating, pointing his chopsticks at my bowl._

"_You gonna eat yours?"_

_Sighing, I pushed my bowl over to Naruto, who was more than happy to take it and eat its contents. Sometimes, I thought I should just give him everything I eat. I don't even know why I bother eating ramen with him when he steals it from me anyway._

_Suddenly, I heard a rustle in the bushes and snuck away from the blonde to go investigate. I knew that I was doing something completely brain-dead and stupid, but I wasn't thinking at the time._

_I walked a few yards into the woods when - what looked like - a clay spider appeared in front of me. Because of my natural phobia of spiders, I grabbed a large stick and swung at the clay arachnid, sending it flying onto a tree. On impact, the spider exploded, and a huge hole in the tree was a result of said explosion._

"_Wh… What the hell was that???"_

"_Looks like someone doesn't appreciate my art, un. How unfortunate."_

_Looking for the source of the strange voice, my eyes shifted frantically until they landed on two figures in the trees. I couldn't get a good look at them because it was so dark, but I knew from the voice that one of them - maybe both - was a man; probably around my age, if not older. Both of them wore long black cloaks with numerous red clouds, and pointed straw hats covering their faces._

"_Who the heck are you guys??"_

"_Saru-chan??"_

_I turned around and saw Naruto running towards me, and he stopped when he noticed the two figures in the trees. _

_After a moment, his eyes suddenly widened as he pushed me behind him, taking out a kunai and getting into a defensive position._

"_Be careful Saru! These guys are members of the Akatsuki!"_

_I gave him a puzzled look._

"_The what?"_

"_Jiraiya told me all about them. The Akatsuki is an organization made up of S-ranked criminals from other villages."_

"_Wow, aren't you smart, un. But, unfortunately, we're not here for you… _this_ time. What should we do, Sasori-sama?" The blonde male asked suddenly._

_The question was directed at the man beside him, who grunted in reply._

"_Take the girl. She'll serve as bait for the Kyuubi."_

"_..Un."_

_Before either of us could comprehend the meaning of that statement, the blonde stuck his hands into the pouches under his cloak. He took them out just as quickly. In his hands were little clay birds, which suddenly came to life and took flight. As soon as they got within range, he made a hand sign and muttered something I couldn't understand._

_Suddenly, the birds exploded one by one, creating clouds of smoke making it harder to see. More exploding birds kept on coming as Naruto shielded me from the blasts._

_As the clouds of smoke thickened, I felt an arm wrap around my waist but it wasn't Naruto._

"_Saru-chan!!" I heard Naruto shout through the smoke._

_But it was too late._

_The strange men were gone, and they took me with them._

"_This is bad… _real_ bad…" He muttered to himself, jumping off to tell Jiraiya._

…

…

It really was the worst day of my life.

I had been sitting there for hours tied up so tight that my arms felt so numb I thought they would fall off, and I was suffering from horrible hunger pains.

My attention was diverted from the wall to the door, and the same man that captured me stepped into the room. It was then that I could get a good look at him.

He had long blonde hair, partially tied back in a topknot, and a section of it was hanging over his left eye. His eyes were a greenish blue, and they shined with mischief which reminded me of Axel somewhat.

But this guy wasn't Axel.

I wouldn't put it past him to kill me.

What bugged me the most was that stupid smug grin on his face…

"So, un…" He began, never losing that smirk. "What should we do with you?"

"You could feed me some food and untie me, for starters."

"Good try girlie, but no. Leader-sama has plans for yo--- What the!? How'd you get out of that, yeah!?"

His visible eye nearly bulged out of his head when he saw that I slipped my arms out of the confines of the ropes as they slipped down to the floor. He only tied my arms up, so that left my legs free.

I thanked the heavenly body above for making me naturally skinny.

"Oh, that? I could actually do that at any time. You're not really good at tying people up, are you?"

The blonde male sputtered and growled in frustration, before tying me up again. This time, I couldn't slip out of the ropes; he tied me up good and tight.

He stomped over to the door as another man stepped inside, this one wearing a mask with an open hole over his right eye. As the blonde addressed the new male, I saw him flinch slightly.

"Tobi. I have to go on a mission for Leader-sama. Watch this girl and make sure she doesn't escape, un!"

"H-Hai, Deidara-senpai."

The blonde - now dubbed 'Deidara' - just gave a slight 'humph' and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him with exceptional force.

"What's with him?" I asked suddenly, after a few minutes. "Is he going through male PMS or something?"

"Deidara-senpai is just feeling a little moody today," Tobi began, twiddling his fingers.

"That didn't sound like he was 'a little moody,'" I muttered to myself. "It sounded like he had an iron bar stuck up his--"

"What?"

"Nothing. Say, you look like a nice guy. Would you mind untying me? It'll only take a second."

Tobi shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but Deidara-senpai told me not to let you escape. And I will listen to Deidara-senpai because Tobi is a good boy."

I sighed; it looked like I couldn't trick this one.

Unless…

"But… these ropes are so tight… Can't you loosen them up, at least a little bit? That way, they won't be nearly as uncomfortable… Please??"

I could see him look at me sympathetically through his mask as I stared at him with my irresistible puppy eyes. He twiddled with his fingers again, and walked up to me and began to loosen the ropes.

"O-Okay, but just a little…"

Ha. _Sucker_.

"Does that feel better?"

"Very much, thank you," I replied with a sweet smile. "And… I'm also feeling a little hungry, so could you get me something to eat too?"

I knew I was milking it, but if this guy was nicer than his PMSing blonde buddy then he would at least bring me some food if I asked.

"Sure thing. Just wait here."

"Duh."

Tobi left the room, without knowing that he loosened the ropes more than he needed - or intended - to. That gave me the perfect opportunity to escape. I admit it, I felt bad for taking advantage of him, but you're willing to try just about everything to get out of that kind of situation.

But knowing that Tobi would come back with food, I decided to stay in the room for a little while longer.

But after a few minutes, I had grown impatient.

When I'm hungry, I want food _immediately_.

Not in a few minutes.

Not in a few hours.

_Immediately_.

After a while, I couldn't wait anymore.

If he was going to take long, then I was going to go get my own damn food… or I could at least try to find him, because, chances are, he as my food with him.

Slipping out of the ropes was relatively easy this time, since they were so loose that I could step out of them like oversized pants, and I was free once again.

I creaked open the door slowly, and poked my head out, cautiously looking down both ends of the hallway. Both ends were pitch black, so there was no way to tell of someone was coming, so I listened for footsteps. Hearing none, I stepped out of the room on my tiptoes so as not to make much noise.

"_So far so good,"_ I thought optimistically. _"I just might get out of here without attracting attention, after all."_

As usual, I spoke too soon…

As I rounded the next corner, I found myself bumping into another body.

"_Oh no… Oh God, no… Don't tell me…"_

I hesitantly looked up and I was met with an unfamiliar pair of eyes.

Unfamiliar, indifferent, _cold_, orange-brown eyes.

The boy those eyes belonged to wasn't taller than me by much, but he was still very intimidating. He was also wearing the same black cloak with red clouds as Tobi and Deidara.

He didn't say anything; he just looked at me. It was as if he was looking right through me like I was made of glass.

I cautiously moved around him, as his eyes followed me the whole time. Once I was behind him, I broke into a run, not caring if anyone heard me or not.

"_Damn it, I just _had_ to open my big fat mouth…"_

Luckily, the boy wasn't following me.

But I soon figured out that he didn't need to.

There was another Akatsuki member not too far away, but he turned and caught me before I got the chance to bump into him. I knew it was a man because one, he was taller than me, and two, because his voice was deeper and there was no way it belonged to a girl.

How do I know that?

Because he said something like this:

"How the hell did you escape, yeah!?"

"_Oh great… the PMSing blonde again…"_

When I shrugged, he growled and started dragging me down the hall.

"I swear, that Tobi can't do _anything_ right, un! He is _so_ in for it when I find him!"

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Hey! I'm not a rag doll, I can walk on my _own_, thank you! And when you're done talking to yourself, then could you _please_ let go of me?? Wait… is your hand… _licking_ my arm???"

Deidara stopped and slapped his free hand to his forehead and continued to growl in irritation, and I could see the steam coming out of his ears.

"Damn it, do you _ever_ shut up?!"

"Answer me when I'm talking to you, and maybe I _will_!!"

"Fine, un. Then I'll try to answer you in the correct order. I know you're not a rag doll, I know you can walk on your own, you're welcome, I wasn't talking to myself, and no. And lastly, I don't control what my hands do. You'll just have to deal with it, un. Can you shut up, now?"

I glared at him, but he just scoffed and continued to walk.

My eyes bore into the back of his head, as I wished so strongly that I could just punch him in the face and get it over with. This guy was being a straight-out jerk, and I don't like it when people tell me to shut up. It gets my blood boiling, and it makes me want to hit someone -- mainly the person that said it.

And this guy… he said it _twice_ now, and I was restraining myself from bashing his freaking head through the wall.

On the way back to the room they had me in previously, we ran into Tobi who was holding a tray of rice balls in his hands.

"Ohayo, Deidara-senpai! Rice ball?"

But Deidara wasn't in the mood for a rice ball; he was too busy impaling poor Tobi in the head with his fist.

"You idiot, un!! I told you not to let her escape!! Can't you do _anything_ right, yeah!?"

At first, Tobi didn't know what Deidara was talking about when he said that, but he looked behind his blonde partner and sweat-dropped when I waved at him in a friendly fashion.

He was surprised when I gave Deidara a good smack in the head in an effort to get his attention.

"Don't you talk to him like that!! He was only trying to be nice to me, which was the opposite of what _you're_ doing!! And if you don't let me go right now, you'll have a _real_ iron bar up your ass!! Get the picture, Blondie!?"

Tobi beamed happily as someone finally valued his kindness.

Deidara, on the other hand, stared at me blankly for a moment trying to register what had just happened into his brain.

"Did you just… _hit_ me???"

He asked this question in such a threatening tone, it caused me to flinch and shrink back a little.

"Yeah. What of it?"

He grinned.

I gulped.

This wasn't going to end well…

I just _had_ to get myself captured by a bunch of homicidal ninja criminals…

Welcome to my life…


	2. The Puppet Master

**Banshee: Here's chapter 2.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Naruto. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto. And I don't own the characters in Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix does. I just own the plot, so no suing please.**

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Chapter Two: The Puppet Master

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Recap:

"You idiot, un!! I told you not to let her escape!! Can't you do anything right, yeah!?"

At first, Tobi didn't know what Deidara was talking about when he said that, but he looked behind his blonde partner and sweat-dropped when I waved at him in a friendly fashion.

He was surprised when I gave Deidara a good smack in the head in an effort to get his attention.

"Don't you talk to him like that!! He was only trying to be nice to me, which was the opposite of what you're_ doing!! And if you don't let me go right now, you'll have a _real_ iron bar up your ass!! Get the picture, Blondie!?" _

Tobi beamed happily as someone finally valued his kindness.

Deidara, on the other hand, stared at me blankly for a moment trying to register what had just happened into his brain.

"Did you just… hit_ me???" _

He asked this question in such a threatening tone, it caused me to flinch and shrink back a little.

"Yeah. What of it?"

He grinned.

I gulped.

This wasn't going to end well…

I just had_ to get myself captured by a bunch of homicidal ninja criminals… _

Welcome to my life…

…

…

Deidara was giving me that same look that a tiger would give to a rabbit.

Needless to say, it made me feel really uncomfortable.

"Are you just gonna sit there looking at me, or are you gonna do something?"

"Oh, I'm gonna 'do something' all right…"

…

…

"Come on, isn't this a little harsh???"

You guessed it; he tied me up again.

I just have a knack for getting myself into all kinds of trouble, don't I?

"Yeah, Deidara-senpai… maybe it is a little harsh…"

"Shut up, Tobi-baka, un! This time, you're going to be left with someone you _can't_ trick. If you know what's good for you, you won't try anything funny, understand, yeah?" Deidara said in a threatening tone as he took out a kunai and pointed it at my throat.

I nodded in understanding after seeing the angry and murderous glint in his eyes, and he smirked, putting the kunai away and dragging Tobi none-too-gently out of the room by his arm.

"Great… the only thing I can hope for is that this next person is at least nicer_ than that PMSing blonde jerk…"_ I thought dryly as my eyes were glued to the door, waiting for my new 'guard.' 

When he stepped into the room, my eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

Red hair…

Orange-brown eyes…

A cold, emotionless expression…

"Oh no.. it's him_ again…_" 

"So…" He began, his voice low and just as emotionless as his expression. "You're the one that's been causing trouble…"

I shivered involuntarily; he may not have any emotion in his voice, but it made it even more frightening than when I last bumped into him in the hallway.

"But rest assured, I won't be as lenient as Tobi or Deidara if you manage to cross me."

"Really?? That _jerk_? '_Lenient_?' Tobi I can understand, but _Deidara_? You're kidding, right? _Please_ tell me you're kidding…"

From the look on his face, I could tell he wasn't kidding.

"Oh… I get it… you want me to shut up, don't you?"

No response.

"Alright. Say no more. I'll shut up."

"Let me guess… you're one of those people that can't stop talking, am I right?"

"… … … Maybe… Ah, damn it!!!" I cursed, slapping myself in the forehead. "Great… _another_ one that can see right through me… that's just what I need.."

"And apparently, you talk to yourself as well…"

"Stop evaluating me!!! And stop observing me like I'm some kind of freak show attraction!! I hate it when people do that!!"

"And you complain a lot, too.."

"Stop that!!!"

"Have you forgotten the position that you're in? You have no authority to order me around." He said in a threatening tone, narrowing his eyes at me.

"Gee, _sorry_. Wouldn't want to emasculate you, or anything. Say, could you do something for me, uh…"

"My name is Sasori. And whatever favor you're asking, the answer is no. I'm not _nearly_ as gullible as Tobi."

"That's not a nice thing to say… he's a nice guy… Besides, I just wanted some food… I'm hungry…"

Sasori rolled his eyes.

"Never in my life have I met someone so _annoying_…"

"That's what everyone says when they meet me."

"Gee… I wonder why…"

…

…

Meanwhile, Naruto tried to convince Tsunade to let him search for me.

"Come on, Granny Tsunade! I have to save Saru!"

"Again, the answer is _no_." Tsunade answered, despite Naruto's pleas. "Don't forget, you're still a genin; you're not _nearly_ strong enough to take on the Akatsuki. And besides, no one knows where their hideout is."

"Aw, come on!"

"No!"

"But they might kill her!"

"If they're using her to get to you, then they're not gonna kill her, Naruto. We can't do anything about it, right now. We'll just have to wait for something to turn up."

"Aw man!!"

As much as he wanted to save me, Naruto knew that Tsunade was right. He _was_ a genin, after all. And he knew that if he did manage to find the Akatsuki, they were using me to lure him in anyway so they could take the nine-tailed fox.

"Great… first I lose Sasuke, now _Saru_? It's like the world doesn't want me to have any friends!"

…

…

I was in the middle of a dreamless sleep, when I felt something nudge my shoulder.

"Here."

My eyes fluttered open at the familiar voice, and I was face to face with Sasori, who was holding a bowl of noodles in his outstretched hand.

When I didn't respond, he said, "You haven't eaten in two days. Take it."

"In case you haven't noticed, my hands are kinda tied." I replied, emphasizing by lifting up my bound hands for him to see. "If you could untie me so I could eat, it would be greatly appreciated, thank you."

He raised an eyebrow at me, and asked, "How do I know you won't try to run away?"

I scoffed.

"I've been captured before. What's the point of trying to escape if I have no idea where I am in the first place? I'll end up getting lost, and who knows what else could happen. No thanks. I'll take the option that _doesn't_ involve getting lost, or even _worse_. So… could you untie me please? I'm hungry…"

At first he did nothing, but then he suddenly set the bowl down and untied the ropes around my wrists. I was surprised by this, because I didn't expect him to actually do it. Once the ropes were loose, he picked up the bowl and handed it to me without a word, and went to sit on a crate so he could watch me - just in case I lied and tried to run away.

"Looks like he doesn't believe me… oh well…"

Before I took a bite out of the noodles, I turned to Sasori and asked, "This isn't poisoned, is it?"

"Fuzakenaideyo! **(1)** Of course it isn't poisoned, baka. Just eat it."

I decided to take his word for it, and began devouring the noodles until the bowl was completely empty.

"For a girl, you sure do eat a lot."

"Gee, thanks for the compliment." I muttered dryly. "I've been like this since I got off that stupid anti-depressant…"

"'Anti-depressant?'" Sasori asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"It's what people give you if they think something's wrong with you. Don't they have medication in this world?"

"Only painkillers, medicine and poison."

"You ninjas are _so_ lucky…"

"I never got your name. What is it?"

"Hm? Oh. My name's Saru."

"Tell me, Saru… what is your relation to the nine-tailed fox?"

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, you mean Naruto? He's my best friend, of course. Who did you think he was, my _boyfriend_, or something?"

When he didn't reply, I suddenly felt my stomach churn.

"Oh come on! I'm seventeen, _why_ would I be dating a _thirteen_-year-old? The very idea of it is so… _gross_! If he was fifteen or sixteen, sure, but _thirteen_?? **_Ew_**, no…"

"Really… I was assuming you were his sister…"

"That's what you get for assuming…"

…

…

"Something's wrong…" Axel began as he clenched his fists tightly. "Saru hasn't come back…"

"You don't think she ran away, do you?" Demyx asked, nervously plucking the strings on his sitar.

"She wouldn't run away, Demyx," Roxas said. "She knows that the rest of the Organization would hunt her down if she tried. Something must have happened when she went to visit that Naruto kid."

"She couldn't have been _killed_… right?" Demyx cringed at the word 'killed.'

"No.. she couldn't have been. It's a possibility, but a very unlikely one. The worst case scenario is that she's been captured… either that, or she's taking her sweet time with this visit…"

"Well, let's go find her! It's been three days already, Xemnas will have _kittens_ if she doesn't come back!"

"He has kittens no matter what she does, Demyx…"

Axel got up from his spot on the couch.

"Roxas. Demyx. Go to that world and see if you can find out what happened to Saru. I'll get Momo so he can track her scent." He ordered in a serious voice, which was sounded odd coming from someone who joked all the time.

"But Axel…"

"No 'buts!' I'm your superior, and I say go!!"

The two younger Nobodies flinched, hastily disappearing in a portal of darkness as sparks flew off of Axel's body in frustration.

When he was alone, Axel sighed heavily, massaging his temples as he closed his eyes and went into deep thought.

"Damn it, Saru… Why do you always have to get yourself into trouble?"

…

…

**(1)** English translation: "Don't be stupid!"


	3. Of Ninjas and Nobodies

**Banshee: Here's chapter 3.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Naruto. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto. And I don't own the characters in Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix does. I just own the plot, so no suing please.**

**----------------------------------------------------------**

Chapter Three: Of Ninjas and Nobodies

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Recap:

_"Something's wrong…" Axel began as he clenched his fists tightly. "Saru hasn't come back…"_

_"You don't think she ran away, do you?" Demyx asked, nervously plucking the strings on his sitar._

_"She wouldn't run away, Demyx," Roxas said. "She knows that the rest of the Organization would hunt her down if she tried. Something must have happened when she went to visit that Naruto kid."_

_"She couldn't have been _killed_… right?" Demyx cringed at the word 'killed.' _

_"No.. she couldn't have been. It's a possibility, but a very unlikely one. The worst case scenario is that she's been captured… either that, or she's taking her sweet time with this visit…"_

_"Well, let's go find her! It's been three days already, Xemnas will have_ kittens_ if she doesn't come back!" _

_"He has kittens no matter what she does, Demyx…"_

_Axel got up from his spot on the couch._

_"Roxas. Demyx. Go to that world and see if you can find out what happened to Saru. I'll get Momo so he can track her scent." He ordered in a serious voice, which was sounded odd coming from someone who joked all the time._

_"But Axel…"_

_"No 'buts!' I'm your superior, and I say go!"_

_The two younger Nobodies flinched, hastily disappearing in a portal of darkness as sparks flew off of Axel's body in frustration._

_When he was alone, Axel sighed heavily, massaging his temples as he closed his eyes and went into deep thought._

"Damn it, Saru… Why do you always have to get yourself into trouble?"

…

…

"So, Sasori… what's Deidara's problem, anyway?"

"Nani? What do you mean?"

"Is he always such a _jerk_?"

"No. He's just an idiot that obsesses with blowing things up."

"Really? I haven't noticed." I muttered sarcastically. "I kind of figured that out when he threw all of those stupid exploding clay birds at me and Naruto."

"My art is not 'stupid,' un."

Sasori and I turned our heads to the door to find Deidara leaning against the doorframe, with an unpleasant look on his face that was directed at me - since I had 'insulted' his 'art.'

"You should be grateful that you were able to live after seeing the explosive beauty that is my art. Most others that face me don't get to receive that opportunity, un."

"That only happened because 'Leader-sama,'" I said, rolling my eyes as I emphasized the 'Leader-sama' part. "wanted to use me to get to Naruto."

"Yeah. And if you know what's good for you, you'll behave like a _good_ little hostage if you want to see your boyfriend again."

At this, my face turned beet red and Sasori rolled his eyes, backing away slowly to avoid the growing flames of my angry aura.

"For the last damned time, Naruto is _not_ my boyfriend! He's my _best_ friend - besides Gaara - get that through your thick head, **_baka_**!"

"Ooh, I like girls with a little _fire_ in their blood, yeah. Ne, Sasori-danna, when you turn her into a puppet, can _I_ keep her? I wouldn't mind having a pretty doll to play with."

"**_Nani_**?"

_"Great… not only is this guy a jerk, but he's a_ **pervert**_ too… **Why** do I get myself into these situations?"_

Sasori narrowed his eyes. 

"My puppets aren't things to be 'played with,' Deidara-**baka**. Besides, dolls and puppets are two completely different things."

Deidara rolled his eyes and draped an arm over my shoulder with a grin, pulling me closer to him.

"Aw, Sasori-danna, they're basically the same thing. But this one's too pretty to be a silly puppet, un. Isn't that right?" He asked, turning his attention to me.

The motion of his head turning swept his hair to the side, and I could see a scope over his left eye. My eyes widened, as this is the first time I ever saw it, since his hair was always covering it. He noticed my surprise and smirked, and I glared at him, wanting to rip his mouth off.

"Sawannai de!" **(1)** I exclaimed, tearing his arm off my shoulder. "You want a doll? Then go check the Barbie section at WalMart, 'cuz I don't swing that way! I don't have to deal with this, I am _out of here_! Find someone else to bait Naruto!"

Sasori tried to grab my arm as I stomped out the door, but I jerked my arm out of his reach and continued to walk. When I was gone, he turned his gaze to Deidara, giving him an icy death glare.

"If she manages to leave here, then _you're_ the one to blame for it."

"Aw, she's just playin' hard to get, un." The blonde retorted, shrugging. "Besides… she has no idea where she is, so finding her will be easy. And… what's a 'WalMart?'"

"Ugh… baka…"

…

…

"Axel, are you sure that Saru's still here?" Roxas asked, as he, Axel, and Demyx were overlooking Konoha from a nearby cliff side.

"Who knows… but I'm sure Naruto will know where she is. Those two are so close, they could be siblings." Axel replied.

"That's no surprise…"

He added in his head. _"They're both loud, annoying, and more stubborn than a mule… I wouldn't be surprised if they _were_ somehow related…"_

"But… what if something bad really _did_ happen to her?" Demyx asked, biting his fingers through his gloves nervously. "I can't stand the thought of it, at all…"

"Easy, Dem. All we have to do is find Naruto."

"Feh. A loud, blonde, thirteen-year-old boy in orange, huh? He can't be _that_ hard to find…"

…

The three Nobodies walked through the streets of Konoha, getting strange looks everywhere they went. But can you blame people for staring? There were three strange guys wearing weird black coats, following a strange black and silver creature. Who _wouldn't_ stare?

"'He can't be _that_ hard to find,'" Roxas said, repeating what Axel said three hours ago in a mocking tone, rolling his eyes. "Apparently, you didn't know that this is a world of _ninjas_ that have mastered the art of concealing themselves."

Sarcasm was dripping from the young Nobody's words. 

"Oh come on, give me a break! How was I supposed to know that?" Axel retorted defensively, throwing his hands in the air, nearly hitting Demyx in the head. "He wears _orange_! How hard is it to find someone that wears freaking _orange_?"

"Stop yelling, Axel; people are staring…"

"I don't give a _damn_ if people are staring! The only thing I care about, is finding Saru! Who knows what could be happening to her right now!"

…

…

"Stupid Deidara… Stupid Akatsuki… Stupid _everything_!" I muttered angrily over and over, stomping down the hallway. I punched the wall numerous times until my hands hurt and my knuckles turned red, bleeding from under the skin.

"Why do these things keep happening to me?"

I went back to mutilating the wall, but this time I did it with my foot, kicking it over and over.

As I stomped down the hallway, I walked by Tobi who was looking at me with wide eyes.

"You okay?" He asked.

But I ignored him, continuing down the hall.

"… Oh no… Tobi has a feeling that this was somehow Deidara-senpai's fault…"

…

…

"I'm sure she's fine. You trained her, didn't you Axel? The only thing she _can't_ do is create a decent portal…"

Axel's eyelids drooped as he looked at his best friend, shaking his head and sighing.

_"I wish I could believe you on that one, buddy…"_

Suddenly, as they passed an alley, a figure jumped out of the shadows and kicked all three Nobodies in the back. The action sent them hurtling to the ground, landing with a hard 'thud' and they didn't know what to expect.

"You'd better tell me who you guys are and what you're doing here, or I'll beat the stuffing out of you! **_Believe it_**!"

Momo jumped up into the air, startled at what had just happened.

Roxas daringly lifted his head to take a look at their attacker:

The boy that was standing above them couldn't have been more than thirteen-years-old. His face was twisted in a frown as his messy blonde hair was standing on end. The color of his eyes were slightly shifting from sky blue to blood red, though it was hard to tell unless you had really good eyesight. The one thing about him that stood out, was that he was wearing orange clothes.

Wasn't the person they were looking for wearing orange?

"Are you… Naruto?"

The blonde blinked twice, his hand clenching the kunai tighter.

"Yeah. The name's Uzumaki Naruto. What of it?"

"We're looking for Saru."

Naruto blinked again, slightly lowering the kunai, but not lowering his guard.

"How do you know Saru-chan?" He asked warily.

"She… lives with us."

"Hontou?" **(2) **Naruto asked, looking the three Nobodies over. 

"Oh, I see!" He pointed to Axel. "You're the dirty pervert that she's been telling me about!"

The redhead twitched, a vein pulsing on his forehead.

"We came looking for her when she didn't come back from visiting you. And we were looking for you so you could tell us what happened to her." Demyx said, getting up on his feet and dusting off his coat.

Naruto shrugged and scratched his head, not really knowing how to say it.

"I don't know how to say this, but… we were eating ramen together, but then the Akatsuki came and took her…"

"I knew it! I knew she got captured again!" Axel exclaimed suddenly, but he was confused at the strange name. "Who's the 'Akatsuki?'"

"They're S-ranked criminals from other villages. One of them can create exploding clay birds. Then he took Saru, and they said something about 'baiting the Kyuubi.'" Naruto scratched his head again, feeling guilty about getting me captured.

_"This was all my fault… Maybe if we weren't friends, then this wouldn't have happened to her…"_

…

_"Take the girl. She'll serve as bait for the Kyuubi."_

…

"So you're saying they captured Saru in order to get to you?" Roxas asked.

"Mm-hm. They're after the nine-tailed fox that's sealed inside my body. I don't know what they want it for exactly, but, whatever their reason, it can't be good." Naruto answered, nodding his head.

"If they're as bad as you say they are, then that makes it all the more important that we find Saru and get her back," Axel said sternly, crossing his arms. "And if they did _one_ thing to hurt her, I swear I'll burn off their--"

"Easy, Axel… Do you have any idea where they took her?" Demyx asked, trying to calm the enraged redhead.

Naruto shook his head.

"Sorry. According to Granny Tsunade, no one knows where their hideout is. Man, if they were here right now, I'd show 'em not to mess with my best buddy! I'd cover 'em in bruises and show 'em who's boss! _Believe_ it!"

"I'd give 'em more than a few meager bruises… _trust_ me…"

…

…

"Saru, where are you?"

My grip on the club tightened as I heard my name being called. I hid around a corner, waiting for one of them to come by so I could give them a good whack to the head. Mostly, I was hoping it was Deidara so I could get back at him for that 'pretty doll' comment.

_No one_ calls me a 'pretty doll…'

Hearing footsteps coming towards me, I readied myself for attack. I closed my eyes and lunged out at my victim, as I took a swing with the club, smacking them in the head. They fell to the floor, and I felt a sense of accomplishment until I found out who it was.

At my feet was - none other than - Tobi.

"T-Tobi? Wha-?"

"Ow… That really hurt… I think you cracked my mask…" Tobi groaned, rubbing the side of his head where the club hit.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry! I thought you were Deidara…"

"Hm? You must _really_ be mad at Deidara-senpai if you want to hit him with a club…"

"You have no idea, Tobi…"

"Good job Tobi, you found her. At least you did _something_ right, un."

I cringed when I heard the 'un' and I knew that there was one person that ended their sentences with one of those.

Turning around I saw Deidara, with Sasori standing next to him.

"Now… it's time _somebody_ was reminded exactly _who_ is the captive, here. Wouldn't you say, Sasori-danna?"

Sasori said nothing, but Deidara ignored it and stepped forward, extending his hand to grab me when Tobi stepped in front of me protectively.

"You're not gonna hurt her, are you senpai?"

"Of course not, baka. I'm just gonna teach her a little lesson, that's all, yeah."

I glared at him and stepped out from behind Tobi, my Keyblade appearing in my hand.

"Are you looking to fight me, Blondie?" I asked threateningly, pointing my weapon at him.

Deidara scoffed. "Why not? A scrawny little runt like you should be no problem for me to beat, un." He said with a smug smirk. 

I felt my face grow hot as the grip on my Keyblade tightened.

"Nante itta-noyo? **(3) **You're gonna regret that, you bastard!"

Deidara smirked again and got into a battle stance as he opened his coat to reveal pouches of clay strapped to his sides. I was horrified when I saw small mouths open in the palms of his hands, and his smirk widened at my surprise and disgust. He stuck a hand into each pouch, taking them out just as quickly. Opening his hands, I saw small clay birds - the same birds he used on me and Naruto a few days ago.

"Alright then," He began, in a cocky tone. "Let's see what you got girly, un."

…

…

"I don't care what Granny Tsunade says! I _have_ to rescue Saru!" Naruto exclaimed, his hands clenched into fists. "Who else is gonna eat ramen with me? Besides Iruka-sensei, of course…"

"Who's gonna help me study for tests?" Demyx cried out, putting his face in his hands.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but… who's gonna hit me when I do something wrong?" Axel whined, joining in the moping with Naruto and Demyx.

Roxas sighed and looked at Momo, who was sniffing the ground anxiously.

"Hey guys! Momo's got something!"

"Is it Saru?"

Suddenly Momo took off, and Roxas ran after him. Soon the others followed suit, trying to see where the little experiment was taking them.

"Don't worry Saru… we're coming to save you!"

…

…

**(1)** English translation: "Don't touch me!"

**(2)** English translation: "Really?"

**(3)** English translation: "What did you say?"


	4. Picking Fights

**Banshee: Here's chapter 4.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Naruto. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto. And I don't own the characters in Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix does. I just own the plot, so no suing please.**

**----------------------------------------------------------**

Chapter Four: Picking Fights

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recap:

_"Now… it's time_ somebody_ was reminded exactly _who_ is the captive, here. Wouldn't you say, Sasori-danna?" _

_Sasori said nothing, but Deidara ignored it and stepped forward, extending his hand to grab me when Tobi stepped in front of me protectively._

_"You're not gonna hurt her, are you senpai?"_

_"Of course not, baka. I'm just gonna teach her a little lesson, that's all, yeah."_

_I glared at him and stepped out from behind Tobi, my Keyblade appearing in my hand._

_"Are you looking to fight me, Blondie?" I asked threateningly, pointing my weapon at him._

_Deidara scoffed. "Why not? A scrawny little runt like you should be no problem for me to beat, un." He said with a smug smirk. _

_I felt my face grow hot as the grip on my Keyblade tightened._

_"Nante itta-noyo? You're gonna regret that, you bastard!"_

_Deidara smirked again and got into a battle stance as he opened his coat to reveal pouches of clay strapped to his sides. I was horrified when I saw small mouths open in the palms of his hands, and his smirk widened at my surprise and disgust. He stuck a hand into each pouch, taking them out just as quickly. Opening his hands, I saw small clay birds - the same birds he used on me and Naruto a few days ago._

_"Alright then," He began, in a cocky tone. "Let's see what you got girlie, un."_

…

…

"Katsu!"

"Damn it!"

More birds were sent flying at me, and I was doing my best to dodge the explosions. Unfortunately, they were coming from every direction and every time I took out one he would just make more. It seemed that close combat was the only way I could stand a chance against this guy. He wouldn't be willing to blow _himself_ up, would he?

Deidara's visible eye widened when I took a swing at his head, leaning back in order to dodge my attack. The sharp edges of my Keyblade sliced trough some strands of his hair, and he uttered a 'tch' in annoyance.

_"Looks like this girl's got some fight in her… That makes it all the more fun, yeah!"_

"Alright, girlie. You wanna play rough, yeah? I'll show you rough!"

His hands balled up into fists as he lashed out in a series of quick jabs that were difficult to dodge, each one hitting a pressure point and making my body numb little by little. But I wasn't going to give up that easily. When he reached into his pouches again, I took the time to think.

_"Okay… If I can catch him while he has his hands in those pouches, then I_ might_ be able to beat him. Here goes!"_

I charged forward, hoping to surprise him, but - to my horror - he was looking at me with a smirk. His hand lashed out and caught my right shoulder and I was pushed into the wall none-too-gently as I hissed in pain from the impact. My Keyblade fell out of my hand due to the pain in my arm, and it fell to the ground, disappearing.

"Nice try girlie, but you can't pull that old trick on me, un; I'm too smart for that. Now… are you willing to cooperate and behave, or will I _really_ have to get rough?"

From his tone, I could tell he was serious.

I glared at him and growled low in my throat, but I make no further attempt to fight. He smirked at this, and released me as I fell to the floor, clutching my shoulder. Tobi ran to my side to see if I was alright.

"Saru… are you okay? Please tell Tobi you're okay! Senpai! You said you wouldn't hurt her!"

"Shut up, Tobi-baka." Deidara snapped, making Tobi flinch. "I said I was going to teach her a lesson, and I did. Lucky for her, she's a fast learner, un."

He turned his attention to me.

"You'd better be grateful that I went easy on you. But the next time you challenge me, I won't hold back. I hope that never happens, because I don't want to have to hurt your pretty little body. Get the message, yeah?"

I growled at him again, but his smirk only widened as he walked past Tobi and me, continuing down the hallway. Sasori, who had been quiet all this time, walked over to us and knelt down so he could look at my shoulder. I hissed when he touched it, and he came to a conclusion, "It's only bruised; you'll be fine. Just be glad he didn't blow you to pieces."

"This is a '_bruise_?' It feels like he _broke_ something…" I muttered darkly, still clutching my sore shoulder. 

"Deidara-senpai wouldn't hurt you on purpose… he has a heart, he just doesn't use it that often…"

Hearing Tobi say this, it was like talking about how Naruto's brain has pretty much been sleeping his entire life. He has a brain, he just doesn't use it. He isn't the brightest bulb, you know… Kakashi-sensei _did _say that Naruto is the most clueless ninja in history… anyway, on with the story.

"Great… now it's gonna be purple for the next few months. Thanks a lot, **_JERK_**!" I yelled in the direction Deidara went, not caring if he heard me or not.

"Sasori-sama and I will get you some medicine to take care of your arm. Stay here, 'kay?"

I nodded and Tobi and Sasori left, and I was alone. But soon I got tired of sitting on the floor; my butt was falling asleep. And I knew that Tobi was slow - even though I barely knew him - and I knew that he would take a long time getting the medicine, though Sasori was with him. That, and I wanted to get back at Deidara for bruising my shoulder.

Getting up on my feet, I clutched my sore arm and walked down the hallway in the same direction the blonde had gone. Even if I didn't like him, it was better than being alone in a strange place with a bunch of criminals. I hated not being able to know where I am, especially if it's in a semi-strange world in an even _more_ strange and _un_familiar place. Continuing down the hallway, I soon noticed that the walls were covered in strange plants - but they looked like a bunch of flytraps… _giant_ flytraps…

"Oh great… Don't tell me this organization has a member that's plant-obsessed too…"

I was completely oblivious to the flytrap that had slithered down from its place on the ceiling, as it opened its 'mouth,' ready to attack me from behind.

Suddenly sensing that something was wrong, I whirled around and my eyes gaped as I saw the giant plant. It lunged at me, but my Keyblade appeared in my hand and I sliced clean through its stem. The head fell to the floor and twitched a little until it laid there motionless at my feet. Luckily, the action didn't cause the other plants to stir.

"That was way too easy…"

"Is that so? That's too bad."

I felt myself stiffen at the new voice, as it was even colder than Sasori's. Turning around, I saw a man with green hair, yellow eyes, and a giant flytrap that extended from the folds of his cloak to a few inches above his head. His skin was toned in two colors; the left half of his body was white, and the right half was black. He was looking at me like a predator that was sizing up his prey.

"So… you're the one Leader-sama's using to bait the nine-tailed fox… **It's such a shame that you'll be _dead_ before he can rescue you!**"

He said this with such malice - especially in the last sentence - that it caused me to reel back, trying to get as much space between us as I could.

For the first time in my life, I felt genuinely afraid.

This guy was going to kill me!

The strange man was about to attack me when another new voice interrupted.

"Zetsu, that's enough. Don't you remember Leader-sama's orders? He specifically said not to kill the girl."

The voice's owner stepped out of the shadows, and I got a good look at him. He had long black hair that was tied in a low ponytail, and his eyes were a blood red. Also, he was wearing a headband from the Leaf Village, but a long horizontal crack ran down the middle, slicing through the symbol.

There was no emotion on his face whatsoever.

_"Those eyes… that's the Sharingan!"_

"**Shut up, Itachi!**" Zetsu snarled. "If she _really_ wanted to live, she wouldn't have destroyed my plant."

"Hey! If it hadn't attacked me, then I wouldn't have killed it! That's your own fault; don't blame me!"

Suddenly, Itachi grabbed my sore arm and I hissed in pain, but his grip was tight and unrelenting. He forced me to turn and face him, his eyes boring into mine as they narrowed dangerously. Tobi and Sasori arrived, and the masked boy was about to step in when the redhead stopped him. He thought it best that no one interfered, unless they too wanted to feel Itachi's wrath.

"Learn to curb your tongue girl, or I will see to it that you die slowly and _painfully_. The pain in your arm is _nothing_ compared to what you will suffer if you continue to act out of turn. Is that understood?"

I nodded in understanding and Itachi threw me unceremoniously onto the ground as he and Zetsu disappeared in a cloud of smoke. As soon as they were gone, Tobi rushed to my side, helping me up and being careful of my shoulder.

"Are you okay, Saru?"

"I'm fine, but… who was that **_prick_**?"

"That 'prick,'" Sasori began in a matter-of-factly tone. "is Itachi Uchiha; Sasuke Uchiha's older brother."

My face suddenly turned pale. The person that Sasuke is so anxious to kill was an inch from killing _me_, and the thought of it made me feel like I was going to throw up.

_"_That_ was Sasuke's _brother_? Well, that explains the Sharingan…"_

I soon realized that the Akatsuki was _nothing_ like Organization XIII. They would _really_ kill me if I stepped out of line. At least Tobi, Sasori, and - even - Deidara wouldn't intentionally cause me any harm. But Itachi and Zetsu definitely had no qualms about it, and I couldn't imagine what the other members were like -- especially the one they called 'Leader-sama.'

It looked like I really bit off more than I could chew… I couldn't save myself this time…

_"Itachi and Zetsu… I'd better stay away from those two… And Axel… Roxas… Demyx… I wonder if they're looking for me right now…"_

…

…

"Where is this thing taking us?" Naruto yelled out as he followed the three Nobodies through the woods.

"He's caught onto a scent! It might be Saru!" Demyx replied in a hopeful tone, his face beaming.

But when they ran through the bushes, they didn't find me. Instead, they found a young boy with a gourd strapped to his back. His eyes were a startling aqua, which was a contrast to the marks around his eyes and his flaming red hair. On his forehead above his left eye was the word 'love' in kanji.

Naruto recognized him right away.

"Gaara?"

Gaara's eyes widened slightly.

"Naruto? What's going on? Who are those people?" The sand-nin inquired, gesturing to the Nobodies beside him.

"Oh. This is Axel, Roxas, and Demyx. They're here looking for Saru; she's been captured by the Akatsuki!"

At this, they saw Gaara's eyes narrow as the gourd on his back began to shake excessively. They could all feel the anger in his aura, and Demyx hid behind Axel, quivering and shaking.

"So this 'Akatsuki' has captured Saru?"

Naruto nodded, and Gaara's fists clenched.

"My only friend… they took her… I will _kill_ them!"

The blonde backed away hastily when sand began pouring out of the gourd strapped to Gaara's back, as it splashed onto the ground. His fists were clenched so tight, his nails were breaking the skin as speckles of blood were appearing on the ground by his feet. 

"Take it easy Gaara. We'll get Saru back. And these guys are gonna help us. Just you wait and see; Saru will be back with us in no time!"

…

…

I clutched my sore arm and groaned repeatedly, trying to put pressure on it so the throbbing would stop. My entire right arm was wracked with pain, and Itachi's iron grip didn't help it at all. The pain was so intense that I felt tears come to my eyes, as they always did when I was in pain. 

_"Where the hell is Tobi with those painkillers!" _I thought, tapping my foot impatiently.

…

Deidara stood outside the door, a perturbed look on his face as he slowly reached for the doorknob. But he stopped halfway and said to himself, "I can't believe that Tobi-baka is making me do this…"

His hand began shaking involuntarily, as he wished Tobi was there so he could clobber him again.

…

_"You really hurt her, Senpai. You'd better apologize to Saru, or I'll keep bugging you until you do!"_

…

"Damn him…" Deidara muttered angrily, his entire body shaking. 

_"Come on Deidara, you can do this… I mean… how hard is it to say a simple 'I'm sorry?' I can handle this!"_

He turned the knob and opened the door, stepping in the room and ignoring my cold stare.

"Hey girlie." Deidara said casually, waving his hand.

I said nothing; I continued to glare at him.

"What, no comeback, yeah?" He asked, sounding disappointed. 

Then he remembered what Tobi had told him about my little run-in with Itachi earlier.

"Whatever that Uchiha punk said to you, don't listen to him, un. Even _he_ doesn't have the balls to go against Leader-sama's orders." 

When he mentioned Itachi, I could sense the utter distaste in his voice.

"What do you want? Are you here for my _other_ arm?" I asked suddenly, in a voice laced with ice and venom. 

The intensity of my glare alone was enough to send a grown man running home crying to his mother, and my voice was so icy and venomous that it could strike fear into _anyone_, even Orochimaru.

He seemed taken back by my sudden coldness, but he regained himself quickly as he crossed his arms.

"Look… You'd better listen real good, because I'm only gonna say this _once_. I'm--"

He couldn't finish the second half of the two-word sentence, because the 'sorry' part just wouldn't come out.

Obviously, he wasn't used to apologizing.

"You're what?" I asked, putting my good hand on my hip.

"I said I'm--"

Again, it wouldn't come out.

_"Chikusho!"_ Deidara cursed in his head. _"Why can't I say it?"_

"Well? Spit it out!"

"…"

"Say something, or I'll hit you with my bad arm and I don't care _how _much it'll hurt!"

"Hey, this isn't easy for me, okay? Give me a break, un!"

"I'll 'give you a break,' all right! I'll break your freakin' arm if you don't tell me what you have to say! You wanna say something, then say it; don't waste my time!"

His visible eye widened at my hostility, but he slightly smirked when the fiery side of me that he - apparently - liked so much had returned.

"What're you smirking at?"

"Nothin'." He replied, losing the smirk quickly.

But he still had no idea how he was gonna apologize. Suddenly, it wasn't as easy as he thought it would be. When you're in the Akatsuki, the only one you have to apologize to is the leader when you do something to piss him off - such as making him wait. Saying 'sorry' is for the good guys. They're the _bad_ guys. The bad guys can't apologize… can they?

"Look… what I'm trying to say is… I… I-I'm…"

I saw his face flush in embarrassment, and smiled evilly.

"Are you blushing?"

"Eh? Why would I be blushing, yeah? That's stupid!"

"Your face is _pink_. Explain _that_ one, genius."

His face went from pink to red, changing rapidly like a mood ring under a water faucet; whether it was from anger, frustration, or embarrassment, I didn't know. I couldn't say I cared, either.

But it was funny to watch.

"I'm trying to tell you something, the least you can do is listen, un!"

"Then tell me."

"…"

"Well?"

"…"

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

"… I'm sorry…" I heard him mutter quietly. But it was too quiet for me to hear.

"What?"

"I'm sorry." He repeated a little louder.

I could hear it a little clearer, but I decided to mess with him a little more.

"I don't think they heard you in the back…" I teased in a sing-song voice with a smile on my face.

His face was so red, I thought his head was gonna explode like on those 'Airheads' commercials.

"I'M SORRY! Okay? I'm sorry! Are you happy now?"

"Yes. Very much."

"Good job Senpai! I knew you could do it!"

Deidara and I turned around to see Tobi in the doorway, with his visible eye sparkling. Though he was wearing a mask, I could imagine the huge smile on his face. The blonde next to me clenched his fists tightly and glared daggers at Tobi.

"I'll make you pay for this, un!"

Deidara lunged at Tobi, who ducked out of the way just in time and began to run down the hallway with the blonde chasing after him.

"Get back here so I can kill you, Tobi-baka!"

"Aah! Senpai!"

"Deidara! Leave him alone!"

…

…

**(1)** English translation: "Damn it!" 


	5. The Search Party Gets Bigger

**Banshee: Here's chapter 5.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Naruto. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Also, I do not own the characters from Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix does. I just own the plot, so no suing please.**

**--**

Chapter Five: The Search Party Gets Bigger

--

Recap:

_"Where is this thing taking us?!" Naruto yelled out as he followed the three Nobodies through the woods._

_"He's caught onto a scent! It might be Saru!" Demyx replied in a hopeful tone, his face beaming._

_But when they ran through the bushes, they didn't find me. Instead, they found a young boy with a gourd strapped to his back. His eyes were a startling aqua, which was a contrast to the marks around his eyes and his flaming red hair. On his forehead above his left eye was the word 'love' in kanji._

_Naruto recognized him right away._

_"Gaara??"_

_Gaara's eyes widened slightly._

_"Naruto? What's going on? Who are those people?" The sand-nin inquired, gesturing to the Nobodies beside him._

_"Oh. This is Axel, Roxas, and Demyx. They're here looking for Saru; she's been captured by the Akatsuki!"_

_At this, they saw Gaara's eyes narrow as the gourd on his back began to shake excessively. They could all feel the anger in his aura, and Demyx hid behind Axel, quivering and shaking._

_"So this 'Akatsuki' has captured Saru?"_

_Naruto nodded, and Gaara's fists clenched._

_"My only friend… they took her… I will _kill_ them!"_

The blonde backed away hastily _when sand began pouring out of the gourd strapped to Gaara's back, as it splashed onto the ground. His fists were clenched so tight, his nails were breaking the skin as speckles of blood were appearing on the ground by his feet._

"Take it easy Gaara. We'll get Saru back. And these guys are gonna help us. Just you wait and see; Saru will be back with us in no time!!"

…

…

"So… where do you think their hideout is??" Demyx asked suddenly, as he looked at the horizon from the tree branch he was standing on.

"The hell if I know… it could be anywhere." Axel replied, spinning one of his chakrams in his hand out of pure boredom.

"Then we'd better start looking-ttebayo!! If we don't find her, they might--"

"Easy kid. If they're using her to get to you - as you say - then they're not gonna do anything to her."

"You got anything, Momo?" Roxas asked the little experiment, but he hung his head in dismay when Momo gave him a negative shake of his head.

Gaara didn't move from his spot at the base of the tree, trying to keep his anger down. His fists kept clenching repeatedly, as it wasn't going that well at all. The others went to the top of the tree just in case he snapped and whipped out his sand; he may have had more control over his inner demon - Shukaku - since the Chuunin Exams, but his anger was something he definitely needed to work on.

_"Damn it…"_ He thought angrily._ "If I'd have been there, I could have saved her!"_

"Gaara?"

He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard his name being called. Looking to his right, he spotted Roxas, who had jumped down from the tree. The two of them said nothing at first, but after twiddling his fingers, Roxas decided to break the silence.

"Can I ask you something?"

Gaara said nothing, but gave an affirmative nod.

"How did you meet Saru? I mean… no offense or anything, but you don't look like a people person."

"… I met her during the Chuunin Exams, when Sasuke Uchiha was still on Team Seven with Naruto… At first, I didn't know what to make of her except that she was either brave or stupid…"

…

_As usual, Gaara was intently staring at everyone in the room, wishing he could kill them all right then. He spotted the Uchiha prodigy talking with his teammates, and a strange girl - that's me - he had seen hanging around with the loud blonde named Uzumaki Naruto._

_I noticed him looking at us, and whispered to Naruto, "Who is that guy? He's been staring at us for fifteen minutes already."_

_At first, Naruto didn't know what I was talking about, but then he stole a quick look at the redheaded sand ninja before looking back at me._

_"That's Gaara from the Sand Village."_

_Sasuke picked up on the conversation after he heard Gaara's name, crossing his arms and saying in a monotone voice, "I'd be careful around him if I were you; he'd kill anyone if they so much as gave him a dirty look."_

_Sakura suddenly batted her eyes as soon as Sasuke started talking._

_"Oh Sasuke-kun, you're so smart!" She said in a giddy voice that made me want to gag. I like Sakura more now, but I used to find her annoying. All she would talk about was Sasuke, and how cool and cute he was! I am _so_ glad she doesn't fuss over him so much anymore._

_"I'm sure he can't be that bad. I'm gonna go say 'hi' to him."_

_"Didn't you hear what Sasuke said? He'll _kill_ you!"_

_I only smiled and patted Naruto on the head before I walked over to the three sand ninjas that were standing across the room from us._

_"Hi there."_

_Gaara was ready to whip out his sand and kill me right then and there, but he wanted to save it for the actual exam. He turned around and looked at me with a murderous look in his eye that quickly turned to confusion when he saw my outstretched hand. His teammates looked at the two of us with grim looks on their faces, expecting sand to pour out of his gourd at any second._

_When he didn't respond, I asked, "What's wrong?"_

_"… Nothing."_

_"You're Gaara, right?"_

_"… Yes… And who, may I ask, are you?"_

_"My name is Saru."_

_The two of us stood there for a few minutes, my hand still stretched out to him. When he didn't take it, I looked at him strangely._

_"Aren't you gonna shake my hand?"_

_"Why should I?"_

_I could literally feel the ice in his voice as it gave me goosebumps._

_"That's how people say hello; they give each other a handshake."_

_"I don't care for 'handshakes.'"_

_"Oh… okay, then. Who're your teammates?"_

_He blinked, then looked at his teammates, who were standing silently behind us._

_"They are my siblings."_

_The boy that was wearing all black, and purple make-up on his face waved at me with a grin._

_"I'm Kankuro. Nice to meet ya." He said in a playful tone that made me smile._

_"And I'm Temari." Said the girl carrying a giant fan._

_"Nice to meet you."_

_"Oi! Saru-chan! I'm going to get some ramen, wanna come?" I heard Naruto shout from across the room._

_Turning around, I saw Naruto yelling to me with Sakura and Sasuke looking embarrassed and annoyed in the background. I turned back around and flashed a smile to the three sand ninjas and said, "I gotta go. Good luck in the exams, 'kay?"_

_With that, I ran back to Naruto, who jumped up and down in excitement._

_"She's nice," Kankuro said, as Temari nodded in agreement._

_Gaara said nothing, as he continued to stare._

_"Don't you think so, Gaara?"_

_"… Whatever…"_

_…_

"She just walked up to you?" Roxas asked, grinning. "That's Saru for ya… sometimes I think she's not afraid of _anything_…"

"She tells me_ spiders_ creep her out…"

"She's has arachnophobia, so that's no surprise. Saru never did like those things."

Gaara smiled slightly at the thought of me freaking out at the sight of a spider, thinking of how silly it was to scream over such a tiny creature. Then again, spiders can be pretty dangerous, and it's usually the little ones that are the most poisonous. That, and spiders are always portrayed through horror movies so that they're far more terrifying than they actually are. If you ever find one, all you have to do is either step on it or catch it and let it go somewhere else. He never understood why people would make such a fuss over something so small…

"From what you tell me, Saru is the _only_ person that was ever nice to you?"

"… Every person that looked at me considered me a monster because of the demon inside of me. All I ever wanted was for someone to love me; to _care_ about me. When I first met her, I couldn't sense any fear or repulsion at all. I could practically see the kindness and love radiating off of her…"

"That's the way she is with everyone - except the people she hates."

"She doesn't seem to like Axel very much.."

"That's because he always does something that makes her mad."

"… Roxas…"

"Hm?"

"How did_ you_ meet Saru?"

Roxas stayed silent for a moment, putting a finger to his chin as he went into deep thought.

"I met her during the first week she was in the castle… It was sort of… awkward…"

…

_"Where are we going, Axel?" I asked, as Axel led me down the numerous hallways of Castle Oblivion._

_"I want you to meet a friend of mine," Axel replied as he continued to drag me along by my arm._

_"He's not a jerk or a pervert, is he?"_

_He snickered at my question, giving me that classic grin of his._

_Damn that smile…_

_"Nah, he's nothing like that. Just trust me; you'll love him."_

_"Really now… I can't wait…" I muttered sarcastically._

_We kept walking until we came to a door with the number thirteen in Roman numerals. He pushed the door open and walked inside the room, tugging on my arm to follow him. It wasn't like I had a choice, though._

_"Yo, Rox! There's someone I want you to meet," He said to the boy that was sitting on the bed._

_The boy looked at us quizzically, and I swear my eyes bugged out of their sockets._

_His hair was a sandy-brown, and it was ruffled and messy with the 'just-out-of-bed' look. The color of his eyes was a sapphire blue, which made them stand out above his other features. When he stood up, he was shorter than me so I concluded that he was younger than me by at least a year._

_He walked over to us, flashing one of the cutest smiles I ever saw._

_"Saru, this is Roxas. Roxas, this is Saru."_

_"How's it going?"_

"Oh my God…" _I thought._ "Even his _voice_ is adorable!!"

_"KAWAII!!"_

_Both boys were shocked when I pounced on Roxas, hugging him tightly and nuzzling my face in his adorably messy hair. The sandy-haired Nobody was blushing furiously, as he couldn't do anything else for he was too shocked from my actions. Suddenly I realized what I was doing, releasing him and scratching my head nervously._

_"Wow…" Roxas began, his blush lightening. "Nice to meet you too…"_

_"Sorry… I just have a weakness for things that are adorable." _

_"Yeah… I noticed…"_

_"You see?" Axel asked slyly, draping an arm over my shoulder. "I told you you'd love 'im."_

_He smiled, ignoring my embarrassed glare._

…

"She glomped you?"

"Yeah…"

"She's strange, isn't she?"

"That's true. But everyone loves her for it. At least she's willing to admit it, right?"

Gaara nodded in agreement.

"I hope she's okay…"

…

…

"How's your arm feeling, Saru-chan?"

I gazed up at Tobi, who was looking at me sympathetically through his mask as he saw that my arm was still purple.

The colors of my arm ranged from dark green, to purple and black, the worst areas being where Deidara and Itachi had been too rough. The skin was tender, and I felt a twinge of pain every time it even _moved_, let alone if someone touched it. For this reason, Sasori wanted me to wear an arm sling and he also gave me the strongest painkillers they had which made my entire arm numb.

"It's fine. But I wish it could've been my _other_ arm instead of this one…"

"Why would you say that??"

I pointed a finger at my arm.

"Because this is my _writing_ arm."

"… Oh… But what's wrong with your left arm?"

At this, I glared at my left hand as if I completely despised it.

"This arm can't do _anything_ right… _especially_ writing…"

"That's funny… that's the same thing Deidara-senpai says about me…"

"That's because he's an idiot. Only an idiot wouldn't know generosity, even if it bit 'em in the ass."

Then, using my good arm, I swept my hair so that it covered my left eye so that I looked more like Deidara.

"'Look at me, un! I love explosions, and I look like a girl. And I'm mean to Tobi because he'd have a better chance at getting a girlfriend than me, because I'm just an immature jerk and a pervert. And I end most of my sentences with an 'un,' because I want to sound cool, un. Un, un, un!"

Tobi started to laugh at my impersonation of his 'Senpai,' but I heard his breath hitch suddenly. I turned around to see what he was looking at and saw Deidara standing in the doorway, looking pissed off at my impersonation of him. In his shaking hands was a tray of food.

"Oh… Hey Deidara…"

He said nothing as he glared intensely at me, making Tobi and me both flinch slightly.

"You think you're _real_ funny, don't you, un?"

"S-Senpai, she was only--"

"Shut up, Tobi-baka!! I wasn't talking to you, un!!" He snapped, making Tobi shrink back.

"Don't yell at him! I was only making a joke! You don't have to be such an asshole!!"

His expression changed from angry to smug in an instant, a conniving grin on his face as he chuckled a little.

"What are you laughing at!?" I exclaimed, glaring at him and wishing I could just punch him in the face and get it over with.

He set the tray down on a crate and walked over to me, and I instinctively stepped back.

"Nothing, un… except for the fact that you forget your place so _easily_…"

"What do you mean??"

"Do I need to remind you of the last time you acted out of turn?" He asked in an all-knowing tone as he poked my bandaged arm with his index finger.

I hissed in pain, realizing that the painkillers that Sasori gave me were wearing off.

I tried to hide the pain I was feeling from that one action, but Deidara saw the pain-induced tears in my eyes and his smirk got wider as he poked my sore arm again. When he moved to do it a third time, I slapped his hand away and lightly clutched my arm as it throbbed.

"I'm glad you understand, un. You will need to learn to bite your tongue around the other members, especially Itachi; he doesn't take too kindly to people that annoy or badmouth him. So be grateful that Sasori-danna, Tobi-baka and I are lenient with you, 'cuz I'd hate to have my pretty little doll be killed because of her big and unruly mouth. Do you understand, yeah?"

When he saw me nod in understanding, Deidara stepped away from me and walked out of the room, shutting the door relatively soft this time - compared to all the 'BANGS' that my eardrums had to endure these past few days.

In an instant, Tobi ran over to me and grasped my good shoulder in an effort to keep me up as the pain in my arm returned, the intensity of it making me feel dizzy.

"Saru-chan! Are you okay? How many fingers am I holding up?" He asked frantically, as he held up three fingers.

My vision was getting blurry and everything was splitting into threes, causing me to see three Tobi's instead of one.

"… Nine??" I asked weakly, my eyelids drooping.

Then I collapsed.

"Saru-chan?? Saru-chan!! Sasori-san!! Come quick!!"

__

"Stupid PMSing blonde jerk…"

…

…

"I'm sure she's alright; she's a strong person."

Roxas nodded, smiling.

"That she is…"

"Yo, Rox! Gaara! Come see this!" They heard Axel shout from the trees.

Wondering what he wanted, they jumped up into the tree to see what the fuss was about. In Axel's hand was a piece of cloth that had snagged on a branch. The cloth was black on one side and red on the other, and a red cloud pattern with white lining was sewn into it. As soon as he saw it, Naruto's eyes widened.

"That pattern..! Black with red clouds… The guys that kidnapped Saru had cloaks with the same pattern!!"

He snatched the cloth from the redhead and took a good look at it, sniffing it also.

It smelled like C4 - just like the clay birds.

"That's it!! It _has_ to be them!"

"Ew… it smells like C4..."

"That's because it _is_ C4, Demyx."

"So… if we have Momo get a whiff of this, he can lead us right to them??"

Naruto nodded and Axel took the cloth back and held it in front of Momo's face. The experiment sniffed it a few times to register the scent, then started to sniff the air. He opened his eyes when he caught the scent in the wind and headed off in the direction it was coming from, all but leaving the others in the dust.

"Whoa! He caught the scent already??"

"They're probably not far away… we might really have something this time!! Come on, guys!!"

With that, Axel, Roxas, Demyx, Naruto and Gaara jumped off after Momo, who bolted through the trees following the scent of C4 like a bloodhound.

…

…

My head was pounding when I opened my eyes again, and I was met with a blurry mass of orange. And I didn't need to ask who it was because I already knew.

Yup.

You guessed it.

It was Tobi.

"Are you okay, Saru-chan?" I heard him ask in a concerned voice as I felt a cold rag being placed on my forehead.

"T-Tobi? What's going on?"

"You've been out for a half-hour… You collapsed when the painkillers wore off. Oh! Speaking of which," he fumbled around in his pockets until he found what he was looking for; two small green pills, about the side of a pinhead. "Sasori-san wanted me to give you these when you woke up."

He placed the pills in my hand and muttered something about getting water before he left the room.

I sat up and took a look at my surroundings as Tobi went to get some water, clutching the pills securely in the palm of my hand. The room I was in was pretty plain, save for a dresser, a mirror, and a four-poster bed - which I was currently lying on. An open window was the only source of light in the room. There were no signs that this room belonged to anyone - because there were no personal items that indicated the presence of another person, so it must have been a spare.

Tobi returned with a glass of water and pushed it into my good hand, and I took the pills, immediately feeling them start to work; the throbbing pain in my arm was suddenly beginning to die down.

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah," I said after finishing off the water. "A lot. Thanks Tobi."

Though he was wearing a mask, I could tell that he was smiling warmly at me.

"Oh! Here." He said, grabbing a tray of food off the nightstand and offering it to me. It was the same tray that Deidara brought for me, but this time - instead of just rice balls and a bowl of ramen - there was a chocolate muffin sitting on a napkin beside the ramen.

"That muffin wasn't there before…"

"Oh. Deidara-senpai wanted you to have that."

"Deidara??"

Tobi nodded, and I looked at the muffin quizzically. I heard him laugh a little at my suspicion, as he picked it up and held it out to me with a smile under his mask.

"Don't worry, it's not poisoned. Senpai wanted to say he was sorry for hurting your arm earlier, so he wanted to give you this muffin as a peace offering."

I continued to stare at the muffin in Tobi's gloved hand, and asked, "It's not gonna explode, is it?"

"Of course it isn't going to explode, you idiot, un."

Tobi and I turned around and saw Deidara leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed as he looked at the two of us.

"Tobi… I need to talk to Saru for a minute… alone."

"But Senpai--"

"Tobi!!"

Tobi flinched a little, but he followed his Senpai's order and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him and pressing his ear to the door to listen in on the conversation.

"Look…" Deidara began, putting his hands in his pockets. "I just wanted to say… about your arm… I'm… I'm sorry, un…"

When I raised an eyebrow at him, he continued, "I just… ugh… I don't know how to put this…"

"Wakaranai…**(1)** What do you want to say?"

"I guess… I… don't want you to… you know… die…"

If my eyebrow could go up any higher, it would have disappeared behind my hairline. He continued to stare at the floor, his hair covering his face so I couldn't see his growing blush. Raising a hand to scratch his head, he stole a few quick glances back at me every now and then.

"What're you smiling at, un!?" He exclaimed when he saw a smug grin find its way onto my face.

"Nothing. I just didn't know that you cared so much."

"I don't! It's just that you're mine and Sasori-danna's responsibility and if you die, then Leader-sama would chew my ass out for it. And that Tobi-baka has taken a liking to you, and I figured that as long as you're here, then he would spend all his time with you instead of bothering _me_."

"Oh. So this is all for Tobi's sake, then? Just to get him off your back?"

"Yes. That's _exactly _what it is."

"You don't care for me at all."

"Nope."

"Not even a little inkling of compassion?"

"None."

"Then why are you blushing?"

"Un?! I'm not blushing!!" He shouted defensively, covering the visible side of his face with his hand.

"Really?" I asked coyly, putting my good hand on my hip. "You might want to double check on that. Don't believe me? Go look in the mirror."

Deidara walked over to the mirror, and, just as I said, his face was a bright fuchsia. He turned around and glared at me, but when you're blushing and trying to hide it behind your hand, it's not nearly as threatening as you want it to be. His blush darkened when I started laughing at how ridiculous he was being, and Tobi was trying his best not to laugh himself as he continued to listen from the other side of the door.

"Stop laughing, un!!"

He twitched in anger when I continued to ignore him, and he picked up a rice ball throwing it at me. It pelted me in the head as the tightly packed ball of rice shattered back into a million little grains as he, too, started laughing. I looked at myself in the mirror and I looked like someone had poured an entire bucket of rice on me, the little grains stuck in my hair.

"Ha, ha! I got you, un!"

"Oh, you are _so_ gonna get it!"

I grabbed one of the rice balls and whipped it at Deidara, and he laughed as it hit him in the chest, rice grains splattering everywhere.

"If you're aiming for my head, then you're doing a poor job of it! Your aim's straight out lousy, un!"

"I'm show you 'lousy aim,' you jerk!!"

…

As Tobi listened from the hallway, he was getting worried that something was happening when he heard sounds of things being thrown and yelling.

__

Poomf!!

"Ow!! Hey, watch the arm!!"

"You need to learn to dodge, un!"

"Oh yeah?? Take this!!"

__

Poomf!!

"Ouch! That one got me in the eye!!"

"What were you saying about dodging, Deidara?"

"That was just a lucky shot, un!"

__

Poomf!!

"Hey!! No fair!! I wasn't ready, yeah!!"

"Stop being a baby! Stand up and be a man!!"

"I don't wanna, so nyah!!"

__

Poomf!!

"Ow!!"

__

Poomf!!

Poomf!!

Poomf!!

"Hey!!"

__

Poomf!!

"Deidara… what're you doing??"

__

**BOOM!!**

At this new sound, Tobi forgot that he was supposed to be eavesdropping, and burst through the door. He froze at what he saw.

Deidara and I were standing a few feet away from each other, a rice ball in our hands, ready to throw. Both of us were covered in rice grains, and were surprised at Tobi's sudden intrusion, our eyes wider than saucers.

"Oh… Deidara-senpai… Saru-chan… I heard a 'boom' and I thought that… you know…" He said nervously, twiddling his fingers.

"That was Deidara. He put some C4 in that last rice ball he threw and it exploded."

"Were you.. Spying on us??"

"I was just making sure that you weren't gonna fight…"

Deidara's visible eyebrow twitched in irritation.

"**_Tobi-baka_!!"**

In an instant, Deidara was chasing Tobi down the hallway, throwing explosive rice balls at him while I chased after the two of them so the blonde wouldn't kill the poor guy.

"Katsu!!"

__

BOOM!!

BOOM!!

"I'll get you, you little shit!!"

"Deidara!! Leave him alone!! Yamete-yo!! **(2)**"

…

…

**(1)** English Translation: "I don't understand."

**(2)** English Translation: "Stop it!"

**Banshee: To anyone who also reads my 'Alone with Them' story, the thirty-fifth chapter is gonna take a while. It's a long chapter... it deals with memory, and all that jazz. So please be patient. I love you all. Ja-ne!**


	6. Round 'n Round in Circles

**Banshee: Here is chapter six. Sorry it took so long. I'm kind of working on two different stories at the same time right now.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Naruto. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Also, I do not own any of the characters in Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix does. I just own the plot, so no suing please.**

**--**

Chapter Six: Round 'n Round in Circles

--

Recap:

_"What're you smiling at, un!?" He exclaimed when he saw a smug grin find its way onto my face._

_"Nothing. I just didn't know that you cared so much."_

_"I don't! It's just that you're mine and Sasori-danna's responsibility and if you die, then Leader-sama would chew my ass out for it. And that Tobi-baka has taken a liking to you, and I figured that as long as you're here, then he would spend all his time with you instead of bothering _me_."_

____

"Oh. So this is all for Tobi's sake, then? Just to get him off your back?"

"Yes. That's exactly what it is."

"You don't care for me at all."

"Nope."

"Not even a little inkling of compassion?"

"None."

"Then why are you blushing?"

"Un?! I'm not blushing!!" He shouted defensively, covering the visible side of his face with his hand.

_"Really?" I asked coyly, putting my good hand on my hip. "You might want to double check on that. Don't believe me? Go look in the mirror."_

_Deidara walked over to the mirror, and, just as I said, his face was a bright fuchsia. He turned around and glared at me, but it when you're blushing and trying to hide it behind your hand, it's not nearly as threatening as you want it to be. His blush darkened when I started laughing at how ridiculous he was being, and Tobi was trying his best not to laugh himself as he continued to listen from the other side of the door._

_"Stop laughing, un!!"_

_He twitched in anger when I continued to ignore him, and he picked up a rice ball throwing it at me. It pelted me in the head as the tightly packed ball of rice shattered back into a million little grains as he, too, started laughing. I looked at myself in the mirror and I looked like someone had poured an entire bucket of rice on me, the little grains stuck in my hair._

_"Ha, ha! I got you, un!"_

_"Oh, you are _so_ gonna get it!"_

_I grabbed one of the rice balls and whipped it at Deidara, and he laughed as it hit him in the chest, rice grains splattering everywhere._

_"If you're aiming for my head, then you're doing a poor job of it! Your aim's straight out lousy, un!"_

_"I'm show you 'lousy aim,' you jerk!!"_

_…_

_…_

"What the hell have you three been doing?" Sasori asked with a raised eyebrow as Tobi, Deidara and I stood before him, covered in rice.

The three of us were covered in rice, except for Tobi, whose cloak was slightly burned and tattered from the exploding rice balls that Deidara was throwing at him. Sasori looked at us sternly, expecting one of us to answer his question.

"If you won't answer me, then I'll have to _make_ you."

He looked at me, and I saw his fingers twitch before I suddenly felt like I had no control over my body. My feet began to move, without my consent, and took a few steps until I was in front of him. Taking a closer look, I saw chakra strings streaming from his fingers and connecting with my body.

_"Chakra strings?? This must be some kind of special jutsu… But… how can he control someone's body like this?!"_

"Now tell me…" He began, narrowing his eyes. "What have you been doing?"

"We were… having a rice ball fight…"

"A 'rice ball fight?'" Sasori asked, quirking an eyebrow for the second time.

"Yeah.. And Deidara, the idiot that he is, put some C4 into some of them and was throwing them at Tobi."

I ignored Deidara's glare.

"I see."

I felt his jutsu lift off of me and I could control my body again. Moving my good arm to make sure, I was relieved when it moved on my own accord.

"I suppose that takes the phrase 'playing with your food' to a whole other level, doesn't it?"

Laughing a little at his question, I took another look at my bruised arm, my mind in a panic.

_"I have to get this arm taken care of. What if Naruto sees it? What if Gaara sees it?? What if_ Axel_ sees it??"_

"Sasori… can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Can I go back to Konoha to get my arm healed?"

Sasori looked at me like I was insane.

"You're a prisoner here. You cannot leave this place, under _any_ circumstances."

"Oh, come on!! If Naruto comes over here and sees my arm in the condition it's in, he'll _throttle_ you guys!! And besides… I don't want to have to keep my arm in a sling, take painkillers that make me looped, and have my arm be _purple_ for who knows _how_ long."

"'Looped?'" Tobi asked, blinking confusedly.

"'Looped' is another way of saying 'high,' or 'baked.'"

"Don't forget 'stoned.'"

"And 'zonked.'"

"And 'apple-pied,' 'blazed,' 'blottoed,' 'blown out,' 'boxed,' 'caked,' 'faded,' 'greenies,' 'half-baked,' 'ripped,' 'zooted,' and--"

"ALRIGHT, I GET IT!!… I just want to get my arm healed, that's it. When it's done, I'll come back here without any arguments. I promise, I won't try to run away or anything."

Sasori raised an eyebrow.

"Are you being truthful?"

"When I make a promise, I _make a promise_. I don't go back on my word."

"… Very well. Wait here. I'll see if I can get permission from Leader-sama."

"Geez, do you need this guy's permission to do _everything_ around here??"

…

…

"Are you sure this thing knows where it's going? We've been going in circles for an hour," Gaara growled impatiently as Momo began sniffing the ground for the third time.

"They probably knew that someone would come looking for her, so they must have set up diversions to slow us down."

"Huh. Like it'll do 'em any good. We're still gonna find Saru, and I'm still gonna beat the shit out of every last one of those bastards." Axel growled with venom in his voice.

"Axel, ochitsuite!**(1)** I'm angry at the people that kidnapped her too. But beating them up isn't going to help anybody. You know that." Roxas said, trying to calm his friend, who was getting angrier by the second.

"How can you be so calm, Rox?? You don't even know what's happening to her right now! They might be torturing her until she's an inch from death!! Or _worse_!!"

They all cringed at the thought.

"It's called 'taking a deep breath, keeping a level head, and staying focused on the main objective,'" Roxas stated calmly in a flat tone. "Now I want you to tell me, Axel… what's the main objective?"

"Finding Saru."

"And are we focusing on the main objective?"

"… … … No…"

"And why aren't we focusing?"

"Because we're letting our 'emotions' cloud our judgment."

"So what should we do?"

"Focus on the main objective?"

"That's right." Roxas put his hands on his hips and quirked an eyebrow. "And what _else_?"

"Keep a level head, and not let our 'emotions' get in the way."

"Also, what does beating the crap out of people solve?"

Axel shrugged. "… Nothing…"

"That's right."

"_Who_ trained you again??"

"That's not important. Now let's go. Momo's on the move again."

…

…

Deidara, Tobi and I were sitting in the room, swinging our legs over the edge of the bed in a bored fashion until we heard the doorknob turn. We turned to the door as Sasori walked in, and he still wore that emotionless expression so there was no way to tell if 'Leader-sama' said 'yes' or 'no' to my request.

"So??" I prodded. "How'd it go? Did he say 'yes?' 'No?' What'd he say??"

"Be quiet and I'll tell you."

I immediately shut up.

"You have Leader-sama's permission to go to Konoha. But be warned… if this is a trick, you will die _regardless_ of the fact that you're our bait for the Kyuubi. If there's one thing our leader hates… it's a _liar_…"

I nodded in understanding, and gulped nervously at his words.

So… they _still_ didn't trust me…

Great…

"Deidara. Leader-sama wants you to go with her, to make sure she doesn't try anything funny."

"Why do _I_ have to go!? I don't want to be stuck babysitting some kid, un!!"

"Are you _questioning_ Leader-sama's orders, Deidara?"

Deidara gulped at Sasori's sudden coldness, and shook his head rapidly.

"Good. You will need a disguise for when you go into Konoha. If people see your scratched headband and cloak, they will automatically know you are a member of the Akatsuki. The last thing we need is trouble."

The blonde nodded in understanding and walked out of the room, most likely to find a fitting disguise. He mumbled incoherent words the whole way, which were most likely curses that were directed at both Sasori and their 'Leader-sama.'

"Hey!!" I shouted after him. "I'm not 'some kid!!' In case you haven't noticed, I'm _seventeen_!! Seventeen, dammit!!"

"Nobody cares, un!!"

"_I_ care, you PMSing blonde jerk!!"

"… 'PMS??' What's that?"

…

--

-- In the Village --

--

…

"So… we're just looking for a medical-nin, right?" Deidara asked as we walked through the streets of Konoha.

"Duh. And where'd you get that headband? Isn't yours scratched?"

"Hm. I always keep a spare just in case. And keep quiet!"

"You're the one who's yelling," I muttered, rolling my eyes.

"Hn. And _why_ do I have to wear these _stupid_ gloves??"

"Because, you have those freakish mouths on your hands. If anyone sees them, it's 'instant freak-out!'"

"My hands aren't 'freakish,' un."

"Yes they are."

"No they aren't, un."

"Yes they are."

"No they aren't."

"Yes they are."

"No they aren't."

"Yes they are, times two."

"No they aren't, times five."

"Yes they are, times seven."

"No they aren't, times ten."

"Yes they are, times _infinity_ and _black magic_. I win; suck on _that_."

"Gr.. Damn it…"

"Saru? Is that you?"

I cringed at the familiar voice.

I turned around, and - lo and behold - there was Kakashi, with one of his 'Icha-Icha Paradise' books in his hand. As usual, it was open.

"Uh… H-Hey Kakashi," I said nervously, scratching the back of my head.

Kakashi soon turned his attention to Deidara, whom he hadn't noticed until that particular moment. The blonde stiffened when he saw the masked sensei stare at him, and gulped nervously, hoping he wouldn't recognize him as a member of the Akatsuki. Then again, he's only seen two members: Itachi, and his partner, whom I have yet to meet - and I don't think I _want_ to meet - so he had no idea who Deidara was.

Thank God…

"And who's this? I haven't seen you around here before." Kakashi said, eyeing Deidara suspiciously.

"Oh, him? This is… Izumi… and he's… visiting from another village…"

"Hontou? And what village are you from, Izumi?"

"T-The… Village Hidden in the Stone…" Deidara stuttered. "Saru's just showing me around, un."

"Stone, eh? Interesting…"

He turned his attention back to me, and the blonde sighed in relief that Kakashi's visible eye wasn't on him anymore.

To him, it was very nerve-wrecking.

Kakashi _can_ be intimidating, _especially_ when you get on his bad side.

"I haven't seen you in a while. And Naruto was screaming something about you being kidnapped by the Akatsuki a few days ago… Good God, what happened to your arm??" Kakashi exclaimed, nearly dropping his book when he saw my bruised arm.

"Oh, this?? I was climbing a tree, and I sort of… fell on my arm…"

"Is that so?" He asked in a tone that suggested that he didn't believe me at all. "You are so clumsy… You should be more careful, then. You don't want to break your arm; you only have two of those, you know."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Well, I don't want to be a bother, so I'll leave you two alone now. I hope you enjoy your stay in Konoha, Izumi. Ja ne!**(2)**"

With that, Kakashi went back to reading his book as he zipped out of sight. Deidara and I let out a huge sigh of relief, thankful that he didn't catch on to our lie.

So we continued down the road to look for a medical-nin that could heal my arm.

…

…

"What's with Momo? He just stopped."

Axel, Demyx, Roxas, Naruto, and Gaara were staring confusedly at the little experiment as it stopped in its tracks and started sniffing the air again. Momo whined in confusion and began switching between the air and the ground, hoping to renew the scent he was previously chasing.

"Maybe he's smelling something else? C4 must be a tricky scent to track…"

"Not to a creature with an acute sense of smell, Demyx. Remember, Momo's nose is ten times better than ours."

"Oh! There he goes again!!" Naruto exclaimed as Momo bounded off to follow the scent again. But what was strange… was that he was heading in the opposite direction; towards Konoha.

"That's weird… it looks like he's heading back to the village…" Roxas said, quirking an eyebrow.

"The guy that kidnapped Saru must be there! And when we find him, we'll make him take us back to wherever they're hiding her! He's not getting away this time!!"

"Naruto!! Wait!! It might be a trap!!" Axel yelled after Naruto as he darted off after Momo.

Too late.

He was gone.

Axel sighed. "Does that kid have a listening problem, or is he just _stupid_?"

"I heard that!!" Naruto yelled out heatedly from a few dozen feet away. "Come on you guys, we're wasting time!!"

…

…

"Thank God that Kakashi guy is gone… When he looks at you, it's like he sees right _through_ you…"

"Aw, what's the matter? Does big, mean old Kakashi scare you, Dei-Dei?"

Deidara stopped in his tracks, and growled low in his throat at his new nickname.

"Don't call me that, un."

"Why not?"

"It's annoying."

"Well I think it's cute."

"… … Hn."

I saw him blush a little, but I decided not to say anything about it… at least not until we get back to the hideout.

We heard barking, and turned around to see a familiar little white dog running towards us. The dog ran up to me and wagged its tail back and forth rapidly as it crouched down, as if it was expecting a belly rub.

"Akamaru!! What did I tell you about running off??"

An equally familiar boy, with brown hair and red markings on his face came running up to us, panting from running so much. When he looked up and saw me, I swear, his eyes bugged out.

He blinked.

I blinked back.

"S-Saru?? Is that you??"

"No, I'm the pizza guy that lives down the street… Of course it's me, you dunce!"

"Yup, it's you… No wonder Akamaru ran off like that! He always does that when you're around. So, what's up? Naruto said you got kidnapped."

I gulped nervously.

_"Does Naruto have to tell everyone_ everything _that happens to me!?"_

"Oh, you know Naruto. He's always making up those tall tales of his…" I laughed nervously, giving Kiba the best smile I could muster.

"He sounded pretty serious… Oh well. Hey, who's this guy?" Kiba asked, as he took notice to Deidara standing behind me. Walking up to him, he sniffed the blonde a few times, then backing away as if his scent was repulsive to him.

"He smells funny…"

Akamaru sniffed Deidara's leg and growled, stepping back as his fur was standing on end.

"Oh, uh…" Deidara stammered. "I'm Izumi, from the Village Hidden in the Stone, un. Saru's just showing me around. And the smell? I guess the smell from some of the fireworks and bombs my dad makes rubbed off on me a little… I'm always there helping him, un."

"Two words, dude: 'shower,' and 'soap.'"

"Like you're one to talk about showers, Kiba. You smell like dog all the time, whether you bathe regularly or not."

Kiba chuckled a little, scratching the back of his head as Akamaru jumped up onto his shoulders.

"Ah, you got me on that one. But that's because of Akamaru, here… Omigod, what happened to your arm!?"

Kiba's eyes bugged out when he saw my arm, and Akamaru nearly fell off of his head when he reeled back from the shock.

"Oh, so it took you this long to notice, huh?" I inquired smugly, putting my good hand on my hip.

"W-Why didn't you say anything!?"

"I wanted to see how long it would take you to notice. And I counted…" I looked at a random stopwatch that I pulled out of nowhere. "… One minute and thirty-seven seconds. I swear, you take longer each time…"

"W… Where'd you get the stopwatch…?" The brunette asked shakily, sweat-dropping.

"I was climbing a tree and I landed on my arm." I replied, ignoring the question concerning the random stopwatch. "The stupid branch that I was climbing on broke, and I fell a few feet. No big deal."

"Yeah… I can see how that's 'no big deal,'" Kiba muttered sarcastically.

"Well we have to go. I have to look for a medical-nin to take care of my arm. See ya Kiba."

"Take it easy, Saru."

As we went our separate ways, Kiba turned around and watched me walk away with 'Izumi.' He watched us leave with a serious look on his face as he thought, _"I don't know why, but… something about that 'Izumi' guy is really bugging me…"_

…

--

-- Later --

--

…

"Shizune!! Shizune!!"

"Hm?"

A tall young woman with short black hair looked up confusedly from tending to Tsunade's pet pig, Ton-Ton, and saw Deidara and me walking down the hallway towards her. She greeted us enthusiastically, and Ton-Ton was jumping around at my feet, making little squealing noises.

"Saru, hey! I haven't seen you in a while. Are you here to see Lady Tsunade?"

"Yeah. I was wondering if she could take a look at my arm."

As soon as Shizune saw it, her face suddenly lost all its color. The bandages on my arm were coming loose, showing the dark purple color it had obtained a few days ago.

"Oh my God, what happened!?"

"I was climbing a tree and I fell.."

"And the worst you got was just a _bruise_?? You're lucky you didn't break it!!"

"Tsunade can take care of it, right?"

"Of course she can! Here, let's go."

"Ow! Shizune… the arm… _the arm_…"

"Oh, right. Sorry."

…

"Lady Tsunade! _Lady Tsunade_!!"

The Godaime Hokage looked up from her paperwork to see Shizune barge into the room, dragging me in by my good arm, and stopping just in front of her desk. Deidara came in after us a few seconds later, panting heavily because he had to run in order to keep up with us. He all but fell to the floor in a heap, nearly falling on poor Ton-Ton. Luckily, the little pig was able to dodge out of the way just in time to avoid being crushed.

"Shizune? What's the matter?" Tsunade asked, setting her paperwork on the desk.

"Saru hurt her arm, and she was wondering if you could heal it for her." Shizune replied, holding up my bandaged arm for the Hokage to see.

"That's _some_ bruise," Tsunade murmured to herself as she leaned over the desk to get a better look. "What'd you do to yourself _this_ time?"

I glared at her. "I fell out of a tree."

"I swear, you are the most _accident-prone_ person I've ever met… You are so reckless, I wouldn't be surprised if you're related to Naruto somehow."

She noticed Deidara lying on the floor, pointing her finger at him, and asked, "And who's this?"

"This is Izumi. He's visiting from the Village Hidden in the Stone." I said simply, nudging him with my foot to get him to wake up - yes, he fainted.

Tsunade sat back in her chair and folded her hands in a thinking gesture. She sat there for a few minutes before standing up and walking over to me, taking a hold of my bruised arm and giving it a brief look over.

"This is only a bruise, so healing it will take no time at all. Still, we'd better go get it taken care of; if Naruto ever sees it, he'll have a heart attack."

_"No duh. That's why I'm here."_ I thought sarcastically, as Tsunade made a few quick hand signs and held her hands over my arm. I saw chakra flow into my arm, and the dark purple color slowly faded away to my normal skin tone; in case you're wondering, my skin is fairly pale, since I don't go outside too often. After a few minutes, the pain in my arm was completely gone, and I could finally move it freely without feeling any pain.

"There you go. You're arm is all taken care of; just don't go climbing any more trees."

"Thanks Tsunade," I said gratefully, looking down at Deidara and groaning impatiently.

I kicked him in the side with my foot and he shot up, letting out a yelp.

"Hey!! What was the big idea, hmm!? What was that for!?"

"Get up you moron, it's time to go." I ordered, putting my hands on my hips and raising my foot in a threat to kick him again if he didn't get up immediately.

He obediently got up, and we said goodbye to Shizune, Tsunade, and Ton-Ton, and went back outside.

…

--

-- Later --

--

…

"So… the Godaime Hokage is one of the three legendary Sannin, right?" Deidara asked as we reached the gate to the village.

"Yeah. So is that snake freak Orochimaru, and that perverted hermit Jiraiya." I muttered dryly, shivering as I remembered when I came into contact with both of them.

The three legendary Sannin… even _they_ have _some_ sort of problem…

Jiraiya is a pervert, who writes those books that Kakashi is always reading, 'Icha-Icha Paradise,' and he's always peeking in on girls in the bath house, using the same excuse every time. _"I'm just doing some research for my book."_ Huh. 'Research,' my _ass_. The only reason he hasn't done any 'research' on me, was because of Naruto and Gaara. Naruto would beat the crap out of him, and Gaara would straight out kill him. I guess having those two as friends has some benefits, huh?

Tsunade is a gambler, even though she always _loses_. But she has superhuman strength, and a temper to match. Sakura and I are usually called 'Tsunade Clones' because he have both impressive strength and a temper. Her huge breasts kind of scare me, but she's very impressive when she fights. She's pretty good for being in her fifties; she's as old as my mom… scary…

A lot of people scare me, but when it comes to freaking me out, Orochimaru certainly takes the cake. He freaks me out to _no end_. That, and he killed the Third Hokage, and he also lured away my favorite person to annoy - Uchiha Sasuke. What am I supposed to do now that Sasuke is gone, huh!? Who _else_ am I gonna annoy!? Ugh, I _hate_ that snake freak! He's so creepy, he's the king of creepiness!! I, personally, don't mind snakes; in fact, I like snakes, but… I bet Orochimaru could give even the _boogeyman_ nightmares…

I could spend all day ranting about how much that guy creeps me out, but right now, let's get on with the story please before I fly off the handle.

"I can tell by the tone of your voice that you don't like Orochimaru very much. Does he freak _you_ out, too?" Deidara asked in a matter-of-factly tone, fidgeting with the gloves on his hands.

"Yup; so much, that every time someone so much as _says his **name**_, it's enough to give me the shivers." I groaned, fighting back said shivers.

"You're not gonna believe this, but he used to be a member of the Akatsuki."

"No fooling? Which one of you poor bastards was his partner, huh?" I asked, suddenly curious.

"Not me, _thank **God**_…" Deidara sighed, taking the gloves off his hands after we got a good distance away from the village.

"Who was it, then?"

"… Sasori-danna."

"Poor bastard…" I murmured to myself.

"I know. I'm starting to think that having Orochimaru for a partner was the reason why he hides inside his puppet, Hiruko, all the time. I would too if I had that guy for a partner, hmm."

"I wouldn't hide - I'd _kill_ myself." I stated bluntly, pretending to stab myself in the chest with a kunai.

Deidara laughed and created a small clay bird, letting it fly and making a hand sign. The bird exploded in a puff of smoke, and was transformed into a larger version which was large enough to ride on. He gestured with his hands for me to get on the bird.

"Ladies first," He said cheekily with a smirk on his face.

"You'd better get up there then." I shot back as he lost the smirk and glared at me.

It wasn't _my_ fault he looked like a girl…

…

--

-- Back at the Hideout --

--

…

Deidara and I returned to the hideout, and it was just as dark and dingy as ever. I could barely see, because my eyes haven't adjusted yet, and had to rely on Deidara to guide me through the maze-like hallways.

"Seriously, how do you guys find your way around in this place?" I asked no one in particular as Deidara chuckled slightly.

"It helps if you've been here for a while."

"How long is a 'while?'"

He didn't answer me but I shrugged it off, getting the feeling that I knew what me meant by a 'while.' As we continued down the hallway, we walked past a strange man with light blue skin and cerulean-colored hair. I stopped immediately after noticing him and he stopped also. Deidara noticed this and stopped walking as well, watching as me and the strange man were staring at each other in silence. He smiled at me and I could see his sharp shark-like teeth, even in the darkness.

"Kisame-san?" Deidara asked suddenly, breaking our staring match. "Is that you?"

'Kisame' exchanged glances with me, then with Deidara and said, "Of course it's me. Who else in this organization has blue skin?"

Then Kisame looked back at me, inching closer to get a better look at me.

"So you're the one that Itachi-san's been going on about. How's it going, Kiddo?" He said, raising his hand in a friendly gesture.

"Don't call me 'kid.'" I growled, pointing a finger at him.

But he ignored me and waved again, continuing down the hallway. Deidara and I watched him leave until he was out of sight, and we exchanged glances with each other.

_"I guess that was the 'mysterious partner' that Kakashi told me about… He's kinda nice, though he could have gone without the 'Kiddo' thing…"_

…

"Saru-chan! Senpai!" Tobi exclaimed excitedly as Deidara and I walked through the door. "How'd it go?"

"Everything went fine, save for a lot of running - mostly for _me_, hmm." Deidara groaned, plopping himself on a chair and rubbing his sore feet.

"And on the way in here, we ran into some blue guy."

"Oh, you mean Kisame-san?" Tobi inquired as he tried to help Deidara take off his sandals, only to have the blonde kick him away in a huff. "He's not as bad as everybody says he is."

_"Yeah…"_ I agreed with Tobi in my head. _"At least, unlike Zetsu, he didn't try to kill me… And unlike Itachi, he isn't a prick… I guess he's alright…"_

"Hey, Sasori…"

Sasori, who was standing silently in the corner, turned to face me when I said his name and nodded slightly as a hint to begin talking.

"Orochimaru used to be your partner before Deidara joined the Akatsuki, right?"

The redhead stared at me for a moment, before nodding his head in response to my question. He was stunned when I looked at him sympathetically and began patting him on the shoulder.

"You poor bastard…"

…

…

"Kakashi-sensei!! _Kakashi-sensei_!!"

"What is it, Naruto? Where's the fire??" Kakashi inquired when Naruto came running up to him and nearly falling at his feet.

"Have you seen Saru-chan anywhere?" Naruto asked in a hopeful tone, his eyes growing as big as saucers as he waited for his sensei's response.

"Sure, she was here just a few minutes ago. But I talked with Tsunade and she said that Saru left the village with some blonde-haired boy hours ago." Kakashi replied, closing his book for a brief moment.

"**_WHAT_**!? You mean we traveled all this way for **_nothing_**!?" Axel exclaimed, banging his head against a wall.

"What a wild goose chase _this_ turned out to be…" Roxas muttered grimly to himself as he ran a hand over his face.

Kakashi blinked at the unfamiliar voices, and faces, before pointing to the Nobodies before him.

"I'm sorry… _Who_ are you??"

...

...

**(1)** "Calm down!"

**(2)** "Goodbye/See ya!"


	7. Big Brother is Watching You

**Banshee: Hello everyone. I'm a little nervous about posting this chapter, because I'm afraid of getting attacked by Sasuke fangirls... I figured out that kiss scenes are kind of difficult when you're writing them from a first person point of view... But that particular scene has a sort of importance in the story, so please don't kill me! TT-TT**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or its characters, they all belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I also do not own the characters from Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix does. I only own the plot, so no suing please.**

**--**

Chapter Seven: Big Brother is Watching You

--

I had decided to take a walk around the Akatsuki hideout again so I would be able to get used to the place. That, and I really wanted to find that 'Kisame' guy and talk to him; he seemed kinda nice, and maybe we could be friends. But that's just my opinion.

I suddenly stopped when I got the eerie feeling that I was being watched. For me, it was like the Columbus play in fourth grade and I was one of the people that was playing a role with only one line. But I was too nervous to utter that simple line; I would always get stage fright. It was the feeling that there was a pair of eyes watching you, and every single thing you do, and making your skin crawl; it was like meeting Orochimaru all over again.

"Are you afraid?" Asked a voice that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

I turned around and saw Itachi, who was looking at me with an indifferent look on his face. It was just as emotionless as the first time I saw him, except for a slightly raised eyebrow.

"To an extent, maybe I am." I answered, trying to keep my voice from sounding shaky.

"Are you afraid I'm going to kill you?"

He hit the nail on the head.

Of _course_ I was afraid that he was going to kill me! If he could kill his entire family, except Sasuke, in a single night, then what would stop him from killing _me_?

The Sharingan was still activated, which must have made him able to see efficiently in the darkness. Because of this, I refused to look him in the eye on account of what Kakashi had told me about his Sharingan eyes; after he recovered from being unconscious, of course.

…

"_Saru, there's something I need to tell you… If you ever come into contact with Itachi Uchiha, whatever you do, _don't look into his eyes_. He uses a genjutsu called the 'Mangekyou Sharingan,' and if you look into his eyes, he'll be able to enter your mind and make you feel anything he wants. It's his strongest attack, and I advise you to stay away from him as much as you possibly can."_

…

Itachi seemed to notice that I was avoiding eye contact with him and gave me the kind of smile that would make one of his fangirls swoon and hit the floor.

"You needn't worry; I wouldn't waste my Mangekyou Sharingan on a weakling like you."

My eyes widened.

"_How did he know what I was thinking!? Can he read minds!?"_

"No, I cannot read minds." Itachi said, as if on cue. "It was merely written all over your face; it's not that hard to miss. And what are you doing wandering the hallways? The others are supposed to be watching you."

"Why do you care?"

"I don't. I just want to know."

"I'm perfectly capable of walking around by myself. Besides, if I'm going to be here a while, I might as well get used to the place. The _last_ thing I want to do is get lost and run into that plant guy again."

"… Very well. But be warned: I'm watching you, girl."

…

--

-- Three Hours Later --

--

…

It turns out that Itachi wasn't kidding when he said he'd be watching me. Everywhere I went, he was there, watching me with those piercing eyes of his. I soon began to feel extremely uneasy, which he seemed to enjoy, and sometimes he would get so close to me that I could actually feel his breath on my neck whenever he talked, or even breathed. It was like he _enjoyed_ giving me a heart attack.

And who knows?

The jerk probably _did_ enjoy it.

"Are you okay, Saru-chan?" I heard Tobi ask suddenly, as I nearly jumped out of my skin.

"Yeah. You look like you've just seen a ghost. What's the matter, hmm?" Deidara added, agreeing with Tobi - for once.

I looked at the both of them and managed a nervous smile, but, by the way they were staring at me, it didn't look convincing at all. So I decided to back the smile up with words.

"Nothing's the matter. This place just creeps me out, that's all.."

"_Oh, I've been seeing a 'ghost,' all right…"_ I thought bitterly. _"… and his name is _Itachi Uchiha_…"_

Sasori, who had been quiet during all this time, turned and walked up to me, examining me like he was my doctor.

"Your heart has been beating rather erratically since you were asked that question, and you are also sweating quite profusely. These are tell-tale signs that you are _lying_."

He seemed to notice my sudden nervousness and grasped my shoulder in a tight grip that was almost painful. It was like being grabbed by a vice, and since he was a puppet, the feeling intensified.

"If I were you, I would consider telling the truth… _now_."

The sudden force in his voice made me more nervous that I was before, but I couldn't go against what he said. There was no way that he was going to use that weird jutsu of his on me again.

"I ran into Itachi earlier today, and he's been following me around ever since. That's the truth. Are you happy now?"

Sasori quirked an eyebrow at me, but nodded and let me go.

"I don't know, but that guy has been giving me the creeps lately…"

"Like Orochimaru?" Deidara asked with a playful smirk as Tobi was fighting back chuckles.

I shook my head and smiled. "Not even close."

The puppet master rolled his eyes and decided to tune the rest of us out for as long as possible. I couldn't say I blamed him for wanting to do that, though. If I had to deal with Tobi and Deidara on a daily basis like he had to, then I would probably tune everything out too. But I can't say that, since Tobi is a nice guy and Deidara isn't _always_ an annoying perverted jerk.

"Maybe Itachi-san likes you, Saru-chan," Tobi suggested, fighting back giggles at the same time. "That might be why he's following you around so much."

"As if," I muttered, fixing my shoes. "Being around Itachi is the same as being around Sasuke. They both act so high and mighty, it's annoying."

"Oh come on," Deidara said, slinging an arm over my shoulder. "Even _Sasuke_ might have had some sort of crush on you at _some_ point. And if the two of them are as alike as you say, then who knows? Itachi-san might like you too. Face it girlie, you're a guy-magnet."

"Right," I muttered sarcastically, shoving him away from me. "I am _so_ 'lucky' to be in possession of such a _special_ 'gift.'"

But the funny part was… Sasuke _did_ have a crush on me…

…

_It had been two weeks since Sasuke left. I had tried to stop him, but even I couldn't talk any sense into that thick head of his. How could Sasuke give everything up just for the sake of power and revenge? Better yet, why did I even care? Needless to say, I didn't really like him that much because of his stuck-up attitude, but even _he_ had his moments where he was nice to be around._

_Naruto and I were at Ichiraku's Ramen, laughing and enjoying ourselves when the blonde brought up Sasuke._

"_Hey, Saru-chan. I have something really interesting to tell ya."_ _Naruto began as he finished his third bowl of ramen. "When Sasuke was in the village… I think he had a crush on you."_

_I stared at him for a moment before I suddenly burst out laughing, nearly spilling both my ramen and my drink, as I doubled over in my fit of hysterics. Naruto stared at me before giving me one of his adorable pouts, and slammed his fist on the counter._

"_I'm serious, Saru-chan!"_

"_I'm sorry Naruto," I managed to say between fits of laughter. "I just think it's funny. I mean, come on… of all people that you say has a crush on me, it has to be _Sasuke_?? Are you _sure_ you're being serious??"_

_I stopped laughing when he looked at me with a completely serious expression and sighed._

"_So you _are_ serious.."_

"_Yeah. He was always staring at you; he would hardly pay any attention to me or Sakura. And whenever you were brought up in conversations, he would act like he was suddenly interested in hearing about it. Didn't you ever notice?"_

"… _No.. I guess I didn't. I guess I was too busy fighting with him to notice."_

_Naruto smiled and ordered another bowl of ramen, digging into it as soon as it was handed to him. I shot him a look, reminding him of my strict five-bowl limit, and he only smiled sheepishly at me._

"_He _did_ like you though… Maybe he still does, who knows?"_

"_Yeah… who knows…"_

…

"Oi, Saru!"

I was snapped back to reality when Deidara began snapping his fingers to get my attention. I shook my head to get my bearings back as the blonde raised an eyebrow at me.

"Huh?"

"You okay, hmm??"

"Uh… yeah, I'm fine.."

"She's lying again." I heard Sasori say from his spot in the corner.

He ignored my glare and went back to staring out the window as Tobi and Deidara stared at me intently.

"_Are_ you lying, Saru-chan?" Tobi asked with a hint of worry in his voice.

"Yeah, hmm. Did something happen between you two?"

The two of them soon bombarded me with questions, ones that mostly had to do with Sasuke, and would not stop until I answered them.

"Alright, alright!!" I shouted in an irritated voice as I pushed them away. "Something _did_ happen between me and Sasuke."

"He didn't deflower you, did he!?" Deidara asked frantically, with tears of anguish and defeat streaming down his cheeks. "Damn it, there goes my one chance at getting laid!!"

"He didn't deflower me, you pervert!!" I yelled angrily, smacking him in the head. "It was something entirely different!!"

"Then what _did_ he do, Saru-chan?"

I looked at Tobi and took a deep breath before speaking.

"Well… It was when he left, after his fight with Naruto…"

…

"_Sasuke, why?? Why are you so willing to just throw everything away for power??"_

_Sasuke stood there with his back to me, refusing to turn around, or at least reply to my questions. _

_I had caught up with him after he fought with Naruto, and it was my chance to try to talk some sense into him. But if he didn't listen to Sakura, or even Naruto, then I must have been pretty crazy to think that he would listen to me. But it was worth a shot._

"_Because…" He began, slowly turning to face me. "… I wasn't going to obtain power the way _he_ wanted me to; I want to gain power my _own_ way. You saw what happened, Saru. Power was surging through my body, and I want more. The power that I have now is _still _not enough."_

_I _did_ see his fight with Naruto. I saw what kind of power he had. And I knew the 'he' that Sasuke was referring to was his older brother Itachi._

"_Sasuke… you know what you're getting yourself into. You _know_ what Orochimaru is planning to do with you. Is it _really_ worth it?"_

_Sasuke said nothing. He only stared at me._

"_Well, _is_ it!?"_

_Anyone with eyes could see that I was crying so hard that my entire body was shaking. Sasuke certainly noticed it, but he still kept that indifferent look on his face and stayed silent, and it was driving me insane._

"_Damn it Sasuke, _answer me_!!"_

_I suddenly got nervous when he took some steps toward me, and whipped out a kunai from behind his back. My eyes widened as he came closer, and I soon found myself backed into a tree with Sasuke standing a few inches from me. I felt my knees give out as I slid down to the base of the tree, and he knelt down on one knee, still clutching the kunai in his hand. Suddenly, he lashed out and stabbed the kunai into the tree, a few inches from my head, and leaned forward until our foreheads were touching._

"_If it will give me the power I need to kill my brother, then yes… it _is_ worth it."_

_I opened my mouth to say something when Sasuke crashed his lips onto mine. He took the opportunity to thrust his tongue into my mouth as he reached out his hand to touch my face in an almost tender way. My eyes were wider than saucers and my face was redder than a tomato, and I was so nervous and scared that I couldn't do anything. I couldn't even push him away or slap him; I was frozen. Sasuke noticed this and deepened the kiss in an effort to calm me down, and after a few seconds, I found myself giving in to the passion that the kiss was inflicting on me. But as soon as it started, Sasuke pulled away, leaving me in a daze. I heard him murmur a quick 'I'm sorry' before I felt his hand move to my neck. The only thing I could feel was a slight pressure before I lost consciousness._

_I woke up a few hours later, still slumped against the tree where Sasuke had left me. My face was still red, and I was embarrassed that I had allowed it to happen. Clenching my fists, I was shocked when I felt a piece of paper crumpling in my hand. Taking the paper and opening it, I was shocked at what I saw. It was a note… from Sasuke._

"Saru --

I'm sorry that it had to come to this. I know what your intentions are, but I have made up my mind. I am going to Orochimaru, and I will obtain the power that he has offered to me. It is the only way that I will be able to kill my brother. I know now that I will never become strong enough if I stay in the Leaf Village. I don't expect you to understand. I just want you to know that I would like to thank you.

So I will.

Thank you… for the memories…

-- Sasuke"

"_Fantastic…" I muttered to no one in particular. "Naruto and Sakura aren't going to be too thrilled to hear about this…"_

…

"Ooh, he kissed you??" Tobi said dreamily, his visible eye sparkling. "How romantic!"

Deidara scoffed when he started giggling, and smacked him in the head.

"Stop giggling, Tobi-baka! You sound like a love-sick schoolgirl, hmm!"

"Sorry Senpai…"

"That was an… interesting story to say the least, Saru," Sasori said, not moving from his place by the window. "Females are very intriguing…"

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

"Do you like Saru-chan too, Sasori-san??"

"That's ridiculous. I am a puppet; I have no emotions." Sasori scoffed, with a perturbed look on his face.

"Right… Say, where's the bathroom?" I asked.

"Down the hall, take a right, and it's the first door on the left." Deidara replied, emphasizing each direction with his hands.

"Thanks."

I walked out the door and into the hallway, going in the direction that Deidara had said to go. I took the right, as directed, and was faced with many doors. Finding the correct door, I moved toward it when I stopped dead in my tracks. That eerie 'I'm being watched' feeling was back. It wasn't long before I felt that breath on my neck again, and I didn't need to look to know who it was.

"You get a kick out of scaring the crap out of me, don't you _Itachi_?"

Though I couldn't see it, I knew he was smirking.

"So…" He began, placing a hand on my neck. "… my little brother has a little crush on you.. How _cute_."

I could sense him uttering the word 'cute' with distaste and sarcasm.

"Were you listening to all that?" I asked, knowing his answer right away.

"I told you I would be watching you.. This new information is quite useful… And I wonder… if Sasuke still cares for you…" His hand weaved its way into my hair before he grabbed a handful of it in a painfully tight grip, and yanking my head back so I was looking him in the eye. "… I wonder how he would feel if he found your dead body on his doorstep. Your death could help to fuel his hatred… but, unfortunately, your current use is to lure in the nine-tailed fox. Watch yourself, girl; I wouldn't want you to get yourself killed before I have the chance to do so. Just remember… I'm watching you…"

He let me go and faded back into the darkness, leaving me trembling from nervousness and fear. I rushed to the bathroom, and as soon as I was finished, I rushed back to the room to Tobi, Deidara and Sasori. They saw me barge into the room, and as I was running in, my feet got caught and I was about to fall when Tobi and Deidara caught me.

"Saru-chan? What's the matter?"

Tobi shook me in a frantic effort to get my attention. I looked at him and shook my head, trying to get back onto my feet. With Tobi and Deidara's help, I was able to stand back up, but not without stumbling on the way.

"I'm fine, I just got a little spooked on the way back, that's all."

Sasori could tell that I was lying, but decided to leave the subject alone for now. I appeared frantic enough as it is, and pressing the matter further would probably end badly.

…

"… _I'm watching you…"_

…

That phrase repeated itself over and over in my head, as I was ignoring the worried looks that Tobi and Deidara were giving me. I knew now that once the Akatsuki had Naruto, then Itachi was going to kill me and use my death to make Sasuke hate him even more. At that point, I didn't know or care why he wanted Sasuke to fight him so badly. All I knew for certain was that I wouldn't be able to escape from the Akatsuki hideout. Even worse, I would always feel Itachi's eyes on me… waiting… _watching_ me…

…

…

"We should stop and rest for the night," Roxas said as he saw that the rest of the team, excluding Gaara, was nearly doubling over from exhaustion.

"Good idea…" Naruto agreed, yawning.

"What about you, Gaara? Aren't you tired?" Demyx asked as the sand ninja stared at him.

"I can't sleep."

"Do you have nightmares?"

"No."

"Insomnia?"

"No."

Soon it was perfectly clear that Gaara was getting annoyed with the constant questioning, and Axel decided to intervene before the curious nocturne learned the meaning of the phrase 'curiosity killed the cat.'

"Stop asking questions, Demyx!" He scolded, smacking him in the head.

"You can't sleep?" Roxas asked, getting Gaara's attention.

"No. I can't." Gaara replied in a slightly calmer mood.

"You can keep watch then, right?"

Gaara stayed silent, but nodded affirmatively.

"Okay then. Let's all get to sleep. We have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow."

…

…


	8. Frustration

**Banshee: Hello. Here's chapter 8.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or its characters, they all belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I also do not own the characters from Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix does. I only own the plot, so no suing please.**

**--**

Chapter Eight: Frustration

--

"Okay… I seriously think we're lost…"

Axel turned around and glared at Roxas, who shrugged his shoulders, nearly tripping on Momo who had collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion. He stopped just in time to avoid the near-accident and stepped over the little experiment as it panted.

"We're not lost!" Axel shot back, though Roxas was unfazed by his retaliation. "Momo just got tired, that's all."

"Yeah, he got tired… after running around in circles for hours." Gaara stated in a matter-of-factly tone, crossing his arms as Axel shot him a glare as well.

Demyx knelt down on the ground, patting Momo on the head sympathetically. "Poor Momo…"

"Hey, Axel. I need to ask you something." Naruto said for the first time in hours - which was pretty odd, considering that he was the kind of person that couldn't keep his mouth shut for five seconds, let alone a few hours. When Axel turned to him to acknowledge that he had a question, he continued, "Why do you want to find Saru-chan so badly?"

Before Axel could say anything, Demyx chimed in, "He really wants to find Saru-chan because he's in l--"

The pyro clamped his hand over Demyx's mouth before he could utter another word as the nocturne struggled within his grip. Roxas knew what he was going to say, but Naruto and Gaara were completely clueless - for the most part; Gaara probably had more of a clue than Naruto did.

Of course, you all know that Axel is totally smitten and obsessed with me. For those of you that don't, well, now you know.

"Because," Axel began, nearly strangling Demyx with his arm. "she's my friend. We've known each other for a while, longer than she's known you, so of course I would be really driven to find her. That's my reason, _end of discussion_!!"

He released Demyx and stormed into the trees without another word. Naruto suddenly remembered something about the terrain and yelled after Axel, "Axel, wait!! There's a…"

There was a loud rumbling and a scream before an eerie silence filled the air. The group went to investigate and found Axel at the bottom of a slope, twitching and covered in dirt.

"… steep slope…"

If Gaara had any eyebrows, one of them would have been raised so high that it disappeared into his hairline. He turned to Roxas and asked almost curiously, "Is he always like this?"

"No," Roxas replied, shaking his head. "Sometimes he falls down the stairs."

Gaara blinked. "I see."

Demyx ran to the edge of the slope, slipping and falling himself.

"Don't worry Axel, I'll help you--_whoa_!!"

"Demyx, you _idiot_!!"

Naruto, Roxas and Gaara watched as Demyx slid down the hill, colliding with Axel as the pyro had just gotten back onto his feet. Naruto burst into a fit of laughter as Roxas and Gaara continued to stare at the scene with flat expressions. The two of them exchanged glances as Gaara used his sand to retrieve the two fallen Nobodies, who were very grateful for his assistance.

"Don't get used to any acts of generosity from me. The next time you two decide to fall down a hill, I won't help you; in fact, I might just watch and laugh."

…

…

Since Itachi vowed he would be watching me, and planning to use my death to fuel Sasuke's hatred toward him in the future, I can't say that I didn't have any reason _not_ to be nervous. So I hung around Deidara, Tobi, and Sasori as much as possible, trying my best to avoid any _other_ insane members of this crazed organization. But there was no way that little plan was going to last very long…

"What!? You're leaving!?"

Tobi and Deidara had to cover their ears in order to protect their precious eardrums from my disapproving outburst.

"Sorry Saru. But Leader-sama wants me and Sasori-danna to go on a mission."

"And what about Tobi?"

"He… has to come with us…" Deidara mumbled in total and complete disdain.

"You're leaving me here all by myself, with Itachi and Zetsu skulking around!?"

"Quit your bothersome screeching." Sasori demanded as he walked into the room after being gone for a couple hours. "We arranged for someone to keep an eye on you."

I crossed my arms angrily, and grumbled, "Um, in case you haven't noticed… I'm seventeen-years-old;_ I don't need a babysitter_."

They could tell that I was very unhappy about the idea since I emphasized every word in that last sentence in growing agitation. Tobi and Deidara backed away a little, scared of my angry aura, but Sasori was unaffected by it. The two of us got into a staring match, trying to intimidate the other, but I backed away since I knew some of what he was capable of; in other words, his ability to control someone like a puppet using chakra strings.

"You don't have a choice in the matter." He retorted in a blatant fashion. "Leader-sama does not want to take any chances with you, especially after that trick you pulled when Deidara and I first brought you here."

I said nothing, and only glared at him. He was right; after I tried to trick Tobi and escape, I could imagine that their leader would want to keep an eye on me so I wouldn't be able to try it again. Sasori saw that I understood and turned to leave, signaling for Deidara and Tobi to follow him.

"Your 'babysitter' will be here in a few minutes. Don't try anything funny."

With that, Sasori shut the door and I heard three pairs of feet disappear down the hallway. The only thing that I could hope for was that my 'babysitter' wasn't Itachi, Zetsu, or anyone _else_ that would try to kill me. I sat there for a few minutes until I saw the door creak open. My eyes widened as I saw a familiar face - a blue face, to be exact - come into the room and shut the door.

"Oh, it's you…"

Standing before me was, none other than, Kisame.

"You sound almost disappointed to see me." He said, sounding almost hurt.

"No, no.. It's just that I'm glad it's you, and not Itachi or Zetsu… I don't really feel like dying today… or _any_ day…"

"You've only met me once - and for a few seconds, I might add - and you already trust me enough to know whether or not I'm going to kill you?" Kisame asked, taking a crate and sitting down.

"You just don't seem like the kind of person that would just randomly kill someone. From what I hear, you're very capable of doing so, but I doubt that you'd waste your power and abilities on just _anyone_."

Suddenly, Kisame smiled, showing his sharp teeth. "How very perceptive of you. Where'd you hear that? The Copy Ninja?"

"Yeah. I pick things up on my own too." I stated in a matter-of-factly tone, crossing my arms.

"That's very impressive coming from someone as young as you."

I glared at him. "I take offense to that… You're probably not that much older than me."

"You'd be surprised."

"By the way, I'm Saru."

"And you already know my name, thanks to Deidara."

"Right. So, with all introductions aside…" I took a deck of cards out of my pocket and held it up so Kisame could see it. "… wanna play cards?"

He stared at me for a moment, before he replied, "Sure, why not?"

…

…

Axel, Demyx, Roxas, Naruto, and Gaara continued their trek through the forest, following Momo, who was continuously sniffing the ground to track any familiar scent. It had rained a few hours ago, washing away the scent of C4, and any other scents they could use to find me, and the poor experiment was beginning to fall into a state of distress.

"Stupid rain…" Axel grumbled, kicking a random stone that was sitting on the path. "We're _never_ going to find Saru at this rate!"

The stone was sent ricocheting off the trees and nearly hit the rest of the group, but they managed to dodge it in the nick of time. Unfortunately, Naruto did not see the stone coming - _big_ surprise - and it hit him in the head as he groaned in pain.

"Hey!!" He shouted angrily. "Watch where you kick those things!! That was the third one today…"

"Axel…" Roxas began. "Maybe it's time to call it a night, huh?"

"No way!" Axel exclaimed stubbornly. "The faster we find a scent to track, the faster we can find Saru!"

"But it's going to be dark soon. Besides, the rain washed away the scent; we probably won't be able to find a new one until tomorrow."

"Roxas has a point, Axel…" Demyx murmured sleepily, trying to suppress a yawn. "I'm getting kinda tired…"

Axel growled in frustration, but stopped walking. His hands were balled up into fists and he was grinding his teeth together as he was trying to keep his anger down.

"Fine."

Hearing this, Momo collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion and the others went to go set up camp for the night. But Gaara continued to watch Axel pace back and forth, unconvinced that a strong friendship was the _only_ reason why he was so determined to find me. He walked up to the pyro and cleared his throat to get his attention. Axel only acknowledged him with an angry grunt of recognition.

"You're in love with Saru…" Gaara said suddenly, after a minute of silence. "… aren't you?"

Axel flinched at this, and Gaara knew that he had hit the nail on the head, based on his reaction. The pyromaniac redhead suddenly felt himself get nervous, especially since Gaara was staring at him so intently. He couldn't tell him that he was right. He had to lie.

"Me? In love with Saru? No way! I'm a Nobody; I am incapable of feeling emotions of any kind - _especially_ 'love.'"

Gaara's gaze did not falter.

"Don't try to lie to me. You may be able to fool Naruto, but you can't fool me with the notion that you are so driven to find Saru because of a mere friendship, no matter _how_ strong that friendship happens to be. I may have never been in love before, but I do know a lovesick puppy when I see one."

At this point, Axel knew that he couldn't fool the sand ninja. It seemed that telling the truth was the best thing to do - the _only_ thing to do.

"All right, all right. I admit it; you got me. I'm in love with her. Fully, completely, head over heels in love!! Happy now!?"

Gaara nodded, as that was exactly what he wanted to hear. "Your answer is satisfactory."

"_Jeez, I can't put _anything _past this kid…"_

"Hey, we're trying to _sleep_ here!" Naruto grumbled, trying to plug his ears with his makeshift pillow.

"Yeah, keep it down…" Demyx yawned, rubbing his eyes.

"Save the declarations of love for when we find Saru. I'm sure she'll be positively _thrilled_ to hear them." Roxas muttered sarcastically, in the process of putting on a pair of ear plugs.

"Stop belittling my emotions!!"

"We don't have any emotions."

"You're supposed to be my best friend! Where's your sense of empathy and compassion!?"

"Shut up and go to sleep."

"You're really mean sometimes, Rox…"

"Deal with it."

"I think Saru's attitude is starting to rub off on you…"

…

…

Kisame and I were in the middle of a game of '_Go Fish_.' He was ahead of me by three pairs, but I wasn't ready to give up just yet. If I could catch up to him, then we would be tied and no one would lose. But I can get pretty competitive sometimes. In a period of two and a half minutes, we were both down to our last card. All I needed was another eight, and I would win our current deadlock. I took a quick look at the card in Kisame's hand, imagining that it was an eight.

"Do you have any eights?"

He smirked and shook his head. "Nope. Go fish."

I glared at him and drew a card from the deck, but I was disappointed to see that it was a queen, and not an eight - which was what I wanted. Kisame seemed to notice the distressed look on my face and his smirk got wider.

He held up his card and asked almost cheekily, "Do you have any queens?"

"_Damn!!"_

I handed him the card and he put it, and his own queen, next to his other pairs.

"Looks like I win."

"Hey, no fair!" I shouted, pointing a finger at him. "I demand a rematch!"

"Again?" Kisame asked, blinking. "But that was the thirteenth time we played, and I beat you at all of them. At least this was more challenging than the first seven times."

"Gee, thanks for the compliment, Kisame…" I grumbled sarcastically as Kisame chuckled a little.

"Ready for that rematch?" Kisame asked impishly, holding up the deck of cards with a grin.

"Oh, all right. _I'll_ deal the cards this time."

…

--

-- Later That Night --

--

…

When Tobi, Deidara, and Sasori returned, they found me and Kisame sitting on the floor with playing cards in our hands. They stared at us with perplexed expressions, but we ignored them and continued our game.

"You got any threes?" I asked, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"Nope. Go fish."

"What the hell are you two doing?" Sasori asked insistently.

"What does it look like we're doing? We're playing Go Fish."

"That looks fun," Tobi said, jumping up and down excitedly. "Can I play too?"

"No way, we're right in the middle of a game!"

"Awww…."

"Kisame." Sasori said suddenly, catching Kisame's attention.

"Yeah?" Kisame inquired, handing me a card that I had just asked for.

"Leader-sama wants to see you and Itachi immediately. Itachi was already there when we returned, so I advise you to be there also; you know how much our leader hates to be kept waiting."

Kisame sighed and handed me the rest of his cards, getting up and dusting off his cloak.

"Alright, fine. We'll finish our game some other time, Saru. It was nice meeting you officially. See ya."

With that, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke and I was left with the same three Akatsuki members as before. I glared at them for interrupting the game, but I ended up picking up the rest of the cards and put the deck into its box before putting it back into my pocket.

"I finally have some fun here, and you guys have to come in and ruin it. Don't you know that interrupting people is rude?" I grumbled irritably, putting my hands on my hips.

"It's getting late. You should get some rest." Sasori said, ignoring my question completely.

"Fine, _Mom_." I growled, stomping towards the bed and sitting down.

As I got into the bed and pulled the covers over me, I noticed that Sasori, Deidara, and Tobi were still in the room. I shot them a glare, and shouted, "Well?! Go on! Muko-ni itte-yo! **(1) **I don't need to be watched while I sleep!!"

They finally decided to leave and I was left alone. I stuck my tongue out at the door, and pulled the covers completely over myself.

"Man, those people are so _infuriating_…" I mumbled to myself before closing my eyes and drifting off into sleep.

"… _Just like a few certain Nobodies…"_

…

…

Though it was probably two o'clock in the morning, Axel couldn't get to sleep. All he could think about was how I was doing, and what was happening to me. As he stared up at the stars, he found himself imagining how he was going to rescue me. Though, I don't think most guys would imagine themselves riding in on a white stallion rescuing their dream girl and riding off into the sunset, kissing. Maybe some do, but I can't read a guy's mind.

He continued to stare at the sky, hoping to see a falling star so he could wish that I was right there next to him - so he could try to hug me, but only have me smack him in the head. He would do anything to stop that unbearable aching in his chest.

"_Damn it, Saru… where are you?"_

…

…

**(1)** "Get out of here/Get lost/Go away!"


End file.
